Protection
by BlackElement7
Summary: Even after the story is done, the storyteller still tells her tale of the living and the dead, joy and sorrow, of innocence lost and something even greater found. ItaSaku Vampire story.
1. Chapter 1

**Aaaaaaaargh… I hate my Internet connection… If I post this, you'll know that somehow I managed to get my dad to fix it, but until then, I've gotta type. The Internet comes and goes, so I can't use or deviantART. Bleh… I'm sorry that I took so long to update… I got a beta!!! Thanks to BlueLily27 (who, by the way, is Bulgarian…)!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But Gandalf totally owns Dumbledore. With a "p". After all, he came back from the dead.**

**- - -**

Sai did not normally listen to stories; words were too troublesome and too easily misunderstood, and besides, he was more of a picture person.

But today was a festival day, with pinks and purples swirling around on the wind – even the oldest, sternest men were laughing like schoolchildren – and when an aging storyteller offered a tale, it took only one quick look at her lined face to convince him to slip into her tent, which smelled faintly of lavender and looked almost as old as the woman herself.

She showed him to a thick cushion on the ground and perched herself on a purple chair above him, but before she could do more than open her mouth to show four missing teeth, the door flap was pushed aside and two black-haired young women dressed entirely in black and red stepped inside.

One of them, slightly taller than her companion, tilted her head and fixed the old storyteller with a level stare. If the older woman was unnerved by the other's cold red eyes, she didn't show it. Sai reached for his sketchbook and pencil, entranced by the woman's frosty beauty.

"We have heard that you are telling vampire stories?" the young woman asked in a smooth, unusually deep voice.

"Only one," the storyteller corrected her slowly. "You would be most welcome to stay and listen."

The black-haired woman nodded, dropped two coins in the storyteller's palm, and gracefully sat, cross-legged, on the cushion next to Sai. The other young woman inclined her head politely at him before sitting on his other side.

The old woman accepted the coins with a silent nod, leaned forward in her chair, arranging her silk shawl around her body carefully, and began her tale.

- - -

She had been born from an unknown womb and cast out onto the streets before she could fully walk. She had no home, no mother, and no name.

It all changed when she was found. She was given a home when an older woman and her apprentice took her in; she was given a mother when the woman held her for the first time; and she was given a name when the apprentice noticed that she had none.

Tsunade was the name of the woman, and Sakura was the name she gave to the girl, because the petals of a cherry blossom were the first things she thought of when she looked at the girl's bright pink hair.

She and her apprentice, Shizune, raised Sakura s the daughter neither of them had ever had, and quickly she became a third member of their small family.

Tsunade was a healer, selling medicine made from the herbs that she grew in the sunniest part of the small flat above the store. Sakura grew up surrounded by the smells of the herbs, and when she was about eight years old, Tsunade set her to work learning the names and locations of specific herbs in the store.

A year later, Sakura was taught the properties of each herb, which she learned more quickly than Tsunade had expected. By the time she was twelve, she had memorized the name, locations, and properties of every single plant in the store. It took her only a year to learn most of the combinations that could be made using those herbs – healing and deadly alike.

When she was almost fourteen, she remembered the stories that Tsunade had told her as a child about vampires, and though she felt a bit foolish, created a powder that, according to what Tsunade had told her about them (and that was quite a lot), should be able to irritate a vampire's skin for long enough to let her escape.

Upon showing it to Shizune, who had watched her curiously as she made it, she was told to keep it with her at all times.

"Keep it by your side always," Shizune instructed, carefully pouring the powder into a small pouch. Sakura recognized the scent of the cloth from which it was made; she had helped prepare the herbs in which the beige cotton had been soaked and so knew that it was costly material. Shizune showed her how to attach it to her waist and repeated her instructions.

Sakura nodded and bowed, only to jerk upward again when Tsunade called from downstairs. As she did, the pouch fell open and a tiny amount of powder fell onto Shizune's hand. Snatching her hand back, the dark-haired woman rubbed it furiously on her clothes, breathing through clenched teeth.

When Sakura hurried forward to apologize, Shizune only gave her a strained smile and waved her away, saying, "The catch must not work. Give it to me and I'll fix it."

"No, thank you," Sakura declined politely. "I can do it myself." She noted Shizune's barely audible breath of relief and the way her shoulders relaxed, but said nothing. She clipped the pouch onto her waist and skipped away to aid Tsunade.

"You called?" she asked as she made her way down the stairs to where her foster mother seemed to be battling with… a door?

"Stupid door!" Tsunade shouted, dealing it an enraged blow. With the abnormal strength that Sakura had come to associate with her foster mother, she left a fist-shaped dent in the door – and a fold in the metal that ran vertically all the way from the top to the bottom.

"Shishou…?" Sakura asked weakly, staring at the battered door. Tsunade jumped at the sound of her voice, whirling around guiltily.

"Shizune, I swear it attacked me – oh, Sakura. It's you." She smiled sheepishly, relieved that she had not been caught. "I was going to ask you to help me open the door, but that's not necessary any more…" She gestured to the swinging door. "I just hope it will close…"

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow at the excuse Tsunade had begun to give her. "The door attacked you?"

"Yes, well…" Tsunade coughed into her fist discreetly and changed the subject. "I'm going out for a bit – full moon and all – " She muttered something that Sakura couldn't catch before straightening up. "Tell Shizune I'll be back, and make sure you keep the door closed."

"Hai! I'm sure you want to be gone before Shizune-neechan comes down, ne?" Sakura nodded as Tsunade winced and shut the (thankfully still working) door after she had left. Feeling a bit lethargic, as it was getting dark outside, she decided to do something domestic. Dragging herself to the small cabinet that held the fabric supplies, she selected a needle and thread before forcing herself over near the door to sit on the floor.

Shizune came down, looking entirely too energetic for Sakura's taste; she was fairly bouncing. "Where did Tsunade-sama go?" she inquired, looking around quizzically. Catching sight of the door, her brow furrowed.

"She went out," Sakura explained quietly as she sewed the first stitch. "Something about the full moon – she'll be back soon." Shizune nodded in some secret understanding and threw one last, exasperated glance at the door before whisking away up the stairs.

From her spot on the ground, Sakura could see the shining full moon, clearly outshining the sprinkle of stars joining it in the inky black sky. Tsunade and Shizune had always had a certain infatuation with the moon – especially the full moon. And the only times she'd ever seen them exhausted were on the nights when there was little or no moon.

Her thread snapped. As she swore under her breath and reached for the clasp, which had fallen off, a shadow caused her to look up. By the time her gaze had returned, searching, to the ground, the small metal object had disappeared under the door through the crack Tsunade had made.

Without needing to rifle through the things in the cabinet, Sakura knew that there were no more clasps left. There was only one solution: she would have to retrieve the clasp herself.

She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and slipped outside. Shadows loomed ominously above her, dark and foreboding, taunting her with the unknown which resided in them. Sakura shivered as the darkness pressed in around her.

Spotting the tiny clasp, she quickly snatched it up and turned to go back when a smooth, pale hand clamped itself over her mouth and an arm pressed her backwards into a hard chest, pinning her own arms at her sides.

"You're out quite late for a young lady, love," a deep, silky voice whispered slowly, warm breath fanning her ear. "It would be a pity for a pretty thing like you to be attacked…"

Lips colder than ice descended upon her neck, raising goose bumps on her flesh as they traveled down to where her neck met her shoulder. They hovered above her jugular vein; her hand stole down to the pouch at her side.

Then something prompted her to _move_; she jerked away, spun, and threw a fistful of powder into the vampire's face. There was no mistaking what he was as he clawed at his face, hissing in pain.

She stumble toward the store, screaming, "SHIZUNE!!" Then the vampire had a shaking hand clapped over her mouth again, and this time he wasted no time in piercing through the skin of her neck with his incisors, draining her before tossing her limp body to the ground.

Sakura watched through darkening eyes as he spread black, blood-scented wings and disappeared into the night. The last thing she remembered was Shizune, frantically tearing at her own wrist and forcing it to Sakura's mouth before the world turned to black.

- - -

Sakura awoke at the pungent scent of burnt herbs to see Shizune's worried face above her own, holding the bag of smoking herbs.

"Do you feel all right?" Shizune asked anxiously, peering into her eyes.

Sakura sat up with a jolt and fell back almost immediately, groaning, "My head hurts…"

"Of course it does, dear," Tsunade said gently, coming over with a cup of fragrant tea, which she placed to Sakura's lips as she helped her sit up. "Drink this; it'll help with the headache."

As her head cleared, Sakura looked around her. They were inside the store and the sun was coming up. "How long was I unconscious?" she asked, successfully standing. "And why do I feel so hyper?"

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged looks. "Sakura-chan," Shizune began hesitantly, "do you remember what happened last night?"

Sakura furrowed her brow, thinking. "I was sewing… then the clasp fell off… I went outside to get it… and – "

"You were attacked," Shizune finished, her voice trembling slightly. "I wish I hadn't, Sakura-chan, but it was the only way to save you! I – I gave you some of my blood. That's why the full moon is affecting you."

Sakura stared. "But – that means you – "

Tsunade nodded sadly. "I am of one of the Royal vampire families. I was the one who Turned Shizune into what she is today."

"I say you were out for the whole night, but you were only unconscious for an hour or so…" Shizune said in a faltering voice, "…because for the three hours before that… you were dead."

"What you're telling me is that I've become a vampire?" Sakura demanded weakly.

Tsunade sighed. "If only I had not gone out," she muttered regretfully. "I might have been able to do a blood transfusion and saved you another way… Because Shizune is not a vampire by birth, anybody she Turns will not become a full vampire. Therefore, you will be affected by the moon, but you will not be able to feed like us."

"Is it such a bad thing, to not have to feed?" Sakura asked with a shudder.

"Perhaps not," Tsunade replied softly. "The problem is that you will feel the hunger, the urge to feed. But without fangs – " she bared her own set of unnaturally sharp incisors " – you will be unable to."

There was a long silence as her words sank in. Then Sakura spoke, with her eyes on the ground.

"Is there a way to turn me back?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No. Once you are Turned – even only partway – there is no turning back."

"Ah." Sakura nodded. "Then is there a way for me to become a full vampire?"

"Yes, there is…" Tsunade hesitated before continuing. "We could find one of my friends, and they would drain you and give you some of their blood."

"Is there a problem, shishou?" Sakura looked quizzically at her foster mother.

"Yes. There is," Tsunade said firmly. "When one of us Turns a human, that human belongs to us, whether we like it or not. You would belong, body, heart, and soul, to that immortal for the rest of your life. Which, as an immortal, would be forever."

"So, then… Shizune-neechan…" Sakura looked back and forth between them with a cocked eyebrow.

"Shizune is my niece," Tsunade said quietly. "When her uncle died and she begged me to take her with me, there was no way I could refuse."

"And you can't be the one to Turn me," Sakura said, not asking a question but making a statement. She ignored the tiny rebuke that had been in Tsunade's voice.

"Yes," Tsunade said wearily. "In order to keep vampires from building legions of slaves and using their undead armies to gain power, a spell was invoked. If I were to Turn you, Shizune would die. If I were to then Turn someone else, you would die. And the higher-ups do keep track of how many times a vampire Turns people. They would require you to visit the Castle for a minimum of a year.

"Also, being this newly Turned, you wouldn't survive away from me for a year. And I'm not going back to that place."

"They killed my uncle," Shizune whispered, looking at the ground.

"I see," Sakura murmured, studying her hands diligently. "…Do these higher-ups know the name of the human you Turned?"

Tsunade thought for a moment before shaking her head to indicate the negative. "No; they wouldn't need to be that specific, although there are certain immortals who do like to keep track for themselves. Anybody I Turn will be close to me. And we're all supposed to go, seeing as it's the full moon."

"I see," Sakura said again. She looked Tsunade in the eye, and Tsunade shivered involuntarily at the cold resolve that shone in those emerald orbs. "Shishou, please send me in Shizune-neechan's place."

"No!" Shizune rose with a cry. "You can't!"

Sakura stood as well, turning to fully face Shizune. "Why not?" she asked softly. "It will clear shishou's name, and since all of the immortals are supposed to be in one place, there is a chance that I can find the one who attacked me."

Tsunade flinched. "Find him?" she demanded. "Why?"  
Sakura smiled ferally, curling back her lips in a way that would have revealed her fangs, had she been a true immortal. "I've got a bone to pick with him…" Her hand touched her waist, still holding the metal clasp. "The bastard took my pouch."

- - -

**Whoo hoo! Got that done! Now I have to send it off to my BETA (who is Bulgarian, by the way), and then go eat dinner. See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bleh… I can't read the chapter today, so all that I can do is type. (I seem to say that all the time, don't I?) Well, I'm in a bad mood because I'm supposed to stay off of the Internet, so I won't talk anymore.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be throwing a tantrum because I couldn't read the chapter.**

**- - -**

Sakura fought the urge to close her eyes and sleep as the bus jerked along the bumpy road to the place that Tsunade had described. There, all of the newly Turned who needed guides to the Castle would meet. An escort would take them there, and they might never return.

She shivered at the thought, running her tongue over her incisors – her newly sharpened incisors. Tsunade had given her a set of fangs upon her departure; she'd also had to teach Sakura how to use them.

"They won't wear out, and they'll let you suck blood as long as you need to, but you won't get any more nutrition from it than any other mortal. Make sure you eat," she'd commanded sternly.

Now Sakura mentally repeated the thanks she'd already given her mentor, narrowed eyes scanning the other occupants of the vehicle. Full vampires would not be comfortable in the blinding sunlight that came in through the windows.

Thanks to some paranoid part of her mind, every person who so much as shifted was a possible vampire. When a tall blonde with sunglasses placed a hand gently on her shoulder, Sakura whirled, teeth automatically bared.

Instead of recoiling like Sakura had expected, she merely looked slightly surprised before grinning to display her own set of fangs.

"Take it easy," she mumbled. "You were so jumpy that I knew you were one of us. I'm Ino." She instantly snapped her mouth shut, but not before the blonde had seen her teeth.

Sakura relaxed slightly at Ino's friendly, cajoling tone. "I'm Sakura," she offered timidly. "Are you going to the Castle, Ino-san?"

"Yes," Ino nodded. "Who Turned you?"

"Tsunade-shishou," Sakura answered. "You?"

Ino frowned. "I don't know his name. And he's dead now, so I guess I'll never know." She shrugged carelessly.

Sakura was saved from having to say anything as the bus stopped. "This is the stop," she said, standing. Ino followed her out, her cheerfulness completely restored.

"Where are you going?" she chirped, bouncing behind her new pink-haired friend. Sakura rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I'm going to go eat something," she yawned. "Wanna come with me?"

Ino looked horrified. "Sakura-chan, you can't feed in the middle of the day! In broad daylight!" she cried, waving her arms frantically.

"Not feed, Ino-san," Sakura laughed. "I mean food, food!" She gestured towards a bakery.

"Oh. Okay, then!" Ino shrugged. "I haven't eaten this way in months!"

As they stepped into the small shop, Sakura inhaled the scent of sugar and sighed happily.

"Do you want anything, Ino-san?" she asked, indicating her selections. Ino shook her head.

"No, thanks," she replied, wrinkling her nose at the food. "You actually eat that stuff?"

Sakura gave a strained laugh, carrying her tray of steaming hot food to a table in a corner of the shop. She was painfully conscious of Ino watching as she ate.

As Ino leaned in to say something, a car screeched to a halt, and both girls looked up, startled.

"Kuso," Sakura muttered, standing and dusting off her hands. "We should start walking."

"Yeah," Ino agreed as they left the shop. "It's getting dark."

"We'd better get going, then," Sakura smirked. "We wouldn't want to get attacked or something, ne?"

Ino giggled. "Of course not! How are we going to get to the Castle if we get mugged?" Her sunglasses had disappeared with the sun.

"Are you going to the Castle too?" a male voice asked. "Do you need someone to protect you?"

Ino laughed as a blond-haired, blue-eyed immortal bounded up to them with a pale-eyed girl on his arm.

"An escort would be greatly appreciated!" Sakura replied, emerald eyes twinkling warmly.

"So, so, what are your name?" the boy asked energetically. Before Sakura could counter with her own question, the girl beside him tugged at his sleeve and whispered in his ear. "My name? Oh, of course! Thank you for reminding me, Hinata-chan!"

She blushed, stammering, "Y-you're w-welcome, N-Naruto-kun…"

"Well, then!" Naruto turned back to face Ino and Sakura. "My name is Naruto, and this is Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan is taking me to the Castle!"

"Actually, we're taking everyone," a deeper voice remarked. The speaker, a vampire who looked a little older than the other four, narrowed eyes similar to Hinata's. "Get your hands off my cousin, moron!"

Naruto laughed cheerfully, completely ignoring the older boy's venomous tone of voice. "My hands aren't on Hinata-chan, Neji-teme! Her hands are on me!"

Hinata squeaked and blushed furiously while Neji growled at Naruto. He opened his mouth to retort when another male voice interrupted.

"Oi, Hyuuga. How long are you going to take? I've already got the rest of the newbies." Neji glared at the dark-haired immortal who stepped toward them with two females behind him.

"Uchiha," the white-eyed immortal drawled. Hinata turned, eyes widening.

"S-Sasuke-san!" she exclaimed, bowing. Sasuke nodded at her in greeting, onyx eyes never leaving Neji's.

One of the girls with Sasuke rolled her eyes, striding forward and looking at Sakura. Her long brown hair was neatly bound on the top of her head in two buns. "I'm Tenten. Who are you?"

Sakura followed her lead, also ignoring the two glaring males. "I'm Sakura, and this is Ino."

"My name is Naruto!" Naruto shouted, joining them. "And this is Hinata-chan!" Tenten rubbed her temples as Hinata giggled.

"N-Naruto-kun, you d-don't h-have to b-be s-so l-loud," Hinata scolded gently. When Naruto apologized sheepishly, she pointed at Neji. "Th-that is m-my c-cousin, N-Neji-niisan, and th-that is U-Uchiha S-Sasuke-san."

"Nice to meet you all," Tenten said brightly.

"Same here," Sakura grinned. "But aren't they supposed to be taking us somewhere instead of staring at each other like demented lovers?"

"Sasuke-kun isn't gay!" the last girl, an immortal with purple hair, contradicted.

They all turned to stare at her. "Haven't you known Sasuke-san for like, three minutes?" Sakura asked skeptically. "Who are you, anyway?"

The girl puffed herself up pompously and took a deep breath. "My name is Ami, and I'll thank you to remember that!"

Ino rolled her eyes, mumbling, "You're welcome." Ami opened her mouth to shriek, but an annoyed voice cut her off.  
"That's enough," Sasuke growled in irritation. "Spread your wings and follow us."

"Wings…?" Ami looked puzzled. Neji rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you've never flown before!"

Tenten placed her hands on her hips, cocking her head. "And if we haven't?" she demanded.

"F-feel f-for your w-wings and f-force th-them to c-come out," Hinata advised, surprising everybody. Neji and Sasuke nodded.

Sakura concentrated as hard as she could until she found something that screamed "Wings!" in her mind. Pushing as hard as she mentally could, she felt them rip from her back and form feathers.

She pushed and pushed until they were finally the largest she could get them. By that time, all the others were finished and waiting for her. Sasuke gave her an annoyed look before leaping into the sky.

_**Well, excuse me if I'm not fully immortal,**_ some part of Sakura's mind huffed indignantly.

_Let it go,_ she sighed to her inner self, finding that taking off was much easier than growing wings.

Soon enough, though, maintaining her wings grew harder and harder. Ino and Tenten, sensing her fatigue, each took one of her hands and quietly urged her on for the rest of the journey.

Fighting to keep her wings – up, down, up, down – it was the part of her dubbed "Inner Sakura" that remembered to thank them for their support.

She was ready to collapse out of the sky by the time they arrived, but when the glittering Castle of obsidian and blood-red ruby appeared before them, Sakura's weariness fell away. Something in the presence of the Castle itself lent her enough energy to land safely – gracefully, even – without help from Ino and Tenten.

"Welcome to the Castle," Neji droned, as if he'd made the same speech many times.

"D-daijobu, S-Sakura-san?" Hinata inquired quietly. Sakura nodded, leaning against Ino.

"Weakling," Sasuke sneered, glancing contemptuously at her.

Something inside of her snapped. She marched up in front of the raven-haired immortal, wings retracting as she did. "Did you say something, Sasuke-san?" she asked softly. The temper she'd inherited from Tsunade was rising.

"I'm sorry, I thought I'd said that loud enough for you to hear. I said you were a weakling," Sasuke smirked.

"Why you - !" She threw a punch at him, only to be held back by a strong pair of arms. Her fist just barely grazed the hand that Sasuke had put out lazily to catch it, but he was thrown backwards almost ten feet. He got to his feet with a shocked expression.

"Tsk tsk, Sasuke. Are you really getting beaten up by a woman?" the vampire who was restraining Sakura asked in a mocking tone.

"Shut up, Itachi," Sasuke muttered as Sakura pulled herself free. She spun to find herself looking up into crimson eyes. A familiar chill ran down her spine, but she couldn't place her finger on its source. All she knew was that those eyes captivated her.

"So, this is the student of Tsunade of the Sannin, hm?" Itachi remarked, scanning her with his eyes. "You've certainly inherited her strength."

"W-we sh-should t-take th-them in," Hinata stammered, finally letting go of Naruto to tug Sakura away from Itachi.

"Hn." Itachi turned and swept away, his long black ponytail fluttering behind him.

As Neji led them in through a set of obsidian doors, Hinata whispered to Sakura, "Y-you sh-should p-probably t-try not t-to a-anger U-Uchiha-san. H-he and S-Sasuke-san h-have a lot of i-influence h-here."

"So basically, you're saying that I should avoid pissing them off because they can make my life a living hell," Sakura said dryly. Hinata winced at her choice of words but nodded. "Well, thanks for the warning. I'll try to remember it."

Sasuke turned to face them, and briefly Sakura wondered if he'd heard them. His expression never changed as he spoke.

"This will be your room," he said to Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Ami, indicating a door. "You will find clothes inside; change into them and get back here in five minutes."

"I will show you to your room," Neji said, looking at Naruto. He had barely finished his sentence when two objections were voiced.

"I'm not staying with them!" Ami pouted, batting her eyes at Sasuke.

"N-Naruto-kun w-will st-stay in m-my r-room," Hinata stated softly. Neji looked outraged.

"Hinata-sama – "

"I am th-the one wh-who T-Turned h-him," Hinata cut in firmly. "Y-you c-cannot d-deny me m-my r-rights. H-he will st-stay w-with m-me." Her decision was final.

Neji reluctantly turned to Ami, who was obviously hoping to share Sasuke's room. Sakura shuddered at the thought of sleeping in the same room as one of the Uchiha brothers.

"Because we have an extra room," Neji sighed, "you may move into that room instead." Ami looked disappointed, but nodded nonetheless.

"Thank the gods," Tenten murmured under her breath. "Can you imagine having to share a room with her?" Ino giggled, pushing open the door.

Inside the room, they found three beds, a closet, and a bathroom. On each of the beds was laid out a black shirt and a long black skirt. Sakura took one look at her clothes and decided to wear leggings underneath. Tenten followed her lead, but Ino shrugged and slipped the skirt on.

As soon as they had finished dressing, there was a knock on the door, and Sasuke's voice called, "Are you finished yet?"

Sakura stuck out her tongue at the door before opening it and stepping out into the hallway. Five humans stood before them, observing them with unsurprised eyes. Ino and Sakura glanced at each other.

"We feed them and take care of them, and in return they give their blood," Neji's voice answered the unspoken question. "You may feed, but be careful not to take too much blood. Tomorrow you will go hunting."

In stepped directly in front of one of the humans and sank her fangs into his unresisting neck. Smelling the blood, Sakura was suddenly ravenous. She and Tenten approached their "meals" at the same time. Carefully gauging how much blood she could take, she tasted the warm, metallic liquid in her mouth. But when she stepped back, letting the human sink silently to the ground, her stomach was no fuller than it had been a minute ago.

She remembered Tsunade's words with a sight, but before she could do more than begin to wonder if there was human food in the Castle, she, Ino, and Tenten had been hustled back into their room.

"It will be morning soon," Neji said gruffly. "Get some sleep; someone will wake you up when the moon comes up."

They all mumbled a quiet goodnight to him before shuffling to their beds. He shut the door, throwing them into darkness, and left. Sakura – and, no doubt, the others –heard the distinctive _click_ of a lock closing as he did.

"Well," Ino began, "I guess we're stuck here." She focused intently on Sakura's face. "How do you feel? After all that flying, you must be hungry." Before Sakura could say anything, she'd pulled out two pieces of bread and an apple and thrust them into their hands.

"Ino-san, what – "

Ino cocked her head. "I hope I read the signs correctly," she mumbled, fiddling with her hands nervously. "You can eat human food, and you had trouble with flying, so I thought… The vampire who Turned me told me why I should never try to Turn anybody. And I just saw it lying there for one of the humans to eat, so…"

Sakura smiled gently. "No, no, you were right, Ino-san!" she assured her anxious friend. "I was just – Thank you."

Tenten watched in confusion as Sakura devoured the food. "Aren't you full from feeding?" she asked. "And how can you eat that?"

Ino sighed. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" she demanded. Tenten nodded as Sakura finished the last piece of bread. "When the child of two vampires Turns a human, the human becomes a full immortal. But when a vampire who was Turned tries to Turn a human, the human becomes only half-vampire."

"So you – " Tenten stared at Sakura, who nodded as she finished the apple, core and all.

"Hai," she answered shortly, reluctant to give out any more information. "So, how did you become an immortal?"

Tenten's face darkened, and Sakura wondered if every Turning had a dark story behind it. "My mother died when I was young. My father didn't take it too well, and soon after that he was Turned. As a newborn, he went crazy for blood, and every day he would send me out of the house to lure some unsuspecting person in so that he and the vampire who had Turned him could satisfy their hunger. Sometimes they gorged themselves on more than one person. This went on for two years.

"Finally, I had had enough, and I tried to escape. He – not my father; the other one – heard me leaving while they were feeding and came after me. He Turned me, and then he abandoned us, leaving me with my father's body in my arms."

Ino gasped. "How horrible!" she cried. "Newly Turned vampires can't stand being without the one who Turned them!"

Tenten shrugged with a grim expression. "He knew that. He was torturing me in the worst possible way. Eventually, I found my way back and… I killed him."

Sakura looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry for asking," she whispered. Tenten shook her head.

"Nah, it's all right. I'm glad to finally be able to pour it all out," she smiled. All three of them jumped when there was a sharp rap on the door.

"Shut up and go to sleep," Neji ordered.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura slid underneath the covers and dozed off.

- - -

**So, Inner Sakura makes an appearance, albeit a very lousy one. I'm trying to keep her like she is in the series – a part of Sakura's mind that reflects what she is actually feeling, instead of what she seems to feel on the outside. Off to my beta, now!!! …My foot's asleep…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ummm…. My beta is reading and beta-ing at top speed (I think), so I will type this up. It's… the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own. You no sue.**

**- - -**

Sakura awoke to the sound of silence. Tsunade and Shizune were always loud early in the morning, so she sat up before she remembered where she was.

_The Castle._

"Hm… What's wrong, Sakura?" Ino mumbled sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

"Nothing," Sakura answered. "I'm just not used to the silence. It was always loud at home, and I'm still getting used to this schedule of waking up at night."

"Haven't you been living with vampires your whole life?" Tenten asked as she yawned, stretched, and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Sakura shrugged. "Yes, but we ran a store, so we got up with the sun," she replied.

"I've been like this for so long that I can hardly imagine waking up like that," Ino yawned.

"Hey, do I sleepwalk or something?" Sakura interrupted, snatching her skirt up off the floor. "I don't remember taking this off…"

Tenten shrugged; Sakura slipped the skirt on – not a moment too soon, for a second later, the door slammed open, exposing them to the world.

"What the hell – " Tenten had no time to finish her curse as a male voice said ruefully, "Aww… We didn't scare 'em, un…" A vampire with long blond hair peeked into the room, only to meet Sakura's fist.

"Bloody idiot!" she raged through gritted teeth. As she got a good look at the intruder, she glanced up at Ino. "Hey, are you two related?"

Ino took a look at his hairstyle and her cerulean eyes widened. "I don't believe it! It's – "

"Yes? Yes?!" Sakura and Tenten leaned forward eagerly. "A long-lost cousin? Your brother?"  
" – a guy who's the mirror image of me!" Ino finished dramatically. Sakura and Tenten sweatdropped.

"I do not look like you, un!" the vampire argued indignantly, getting to his feet. "You don't have a scope – " he pushed back his bangs to reveal a metal device over his left eye " – and I'm a guy!"

"No way," Sakura drawled sarcastically. He glared down at her; on his feet, he was a good nine centimeters taller than her.

"Why you – "

A pillow met his face. As he sputtered in shock, Tenten asked flatly, "Why are you in here?"

"I was _going _to tell you that the Uchiha and Hyuuga brats are going to meet you in five minutes," he began. Sakura cut him off.

"There, you've delivered your message. We'll pretend I thanked you – now out!" She shoved him out with her colossal strength and shut the door, making sure to lock it from the inside.

Five minutes later when they stepped out into the hall, he was still there, being held back by a red-haired male. Neji, Sasuke, Hinata, Naruto, and Ami were waiting as well.

"Let got of me, Sasori no danna, un!" the blonde exclaimed. Sasori ignored him completely, holding him captive with one hand and reaching out towards Sakura with the other.

"Hajimemashite. I am Sasori. Congratulations; you are the first to give Deidara what he deserves," he told her in a deep, quiet voice.

She grinned cautiously, shaking his hand. "I'm Sakura. Hajimemashite, Sasori-san. Tenten-san did half the job."

He extended his hand to Tenten as well, who grasped it firmly, blushing slightly. "Nice to meet you, Sasori-san. I'm Tenten." He inclined his head in acknowledgement as he withdrew his hand.

"Deidara and I have been assigned to escort you eight to the Main Hall," he announced. "Please follow us."  
Tenten put a hand in the air like a schoolgirl. He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering…" she started with a glint in her eye. "Are you two… you know…" She trailed off suggestively.

Deidara stopped trying to get away for a moment and looked horrified. Behind Tenten, Neji choked quietly, and Sasori looked mildly amused, if not disturbed. "What gives you that impression, Tenten-san?"

She shrugged. "I don't know… Gomenasai. That was random." Under her breath, so that only Sakura and Ino heard, she added, "There's always something wrong with the gorgeous ones." Sakura giggled.

"How true," she murmured back.

"Sad, isn't it," Ino put in, dabbing at her eye with an imaginary tissue.

"…No." Sasori spoke suddenly, startling them.

"Sorry?" Tenten straightened up.

"No," Sasori repeated. "If I were to desire a lover, I would choose someone with… significantly more intelligence." Tenten snickered.

"_Danna, _un!" Deidara whined, pouting. "That was mean!" He threw his full weight away from Sasori's hand, making a desperate attempt at escape.

"Follow us, please," Sasori said, pointedly ignoring the captive he was dragging along. "It would not do to arrive late, and I hate making people wait."

"Of course not." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Sasori glanced at him briefly. "Did you say something, Sasuke-san?" he inquired in a bland tone that made it more of a statement than a question.

Sasuke's eyes flashed red for a split second before he answered with a noncommittal grunt and shrug.

"Then, if there are no more objections, we will proceed," Sasori stated calmly. The burning glares directed at him by eyes both creamy and onyx seemed to slide right off of him, having no visible effect whatsoever.

He finally let go of Deidara's shirt and slowly moved away, not looking back to make sure they were following. Deidara scurried after him but made sure not to stray within arm's reach again.

"Where are we going again, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked Hinata quietly – or as quiet as he could get, being Naruto.

"W-we are g-going t-to the M-Main H-Hall to i-introduce y-you," she replied in a whisper that could barely be heard. Sakura cocked her head curiously.

"Intro – "

"_There_ you are!" a loud voice exclaimed. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost!" A vampire with spiky white hair hurried over.

"I do not get lost, Jiraiya-san," Sasori said stiffly. "I trust you can take them from here?"

"That's Jiraiya-_sama_ to you," the white-haired vampire huffed, but he waved Sasori and Deidara away and beckoned the others toward him. "Oh, come on, now. I'm not going to bite! Hard," he added with a decidedly perverted gleam in his eyes as he saw the girls.

Sakura twitched as his eyes swept shamelessly down her body. "I would appreciate it if your eyes stayed up here," she growled loudly. He jumped, not missing the vein in her forehead or her clenched and shaking fist.

"Ahem! Well, now, could we have your names and who Turned you, please?" he requested nervously. Sakura snorted under her breath.

Tenten stepped forward. "My name is Tenten. I'm sure I'm the only one out of this group who was Turned by my father, so there is no need for me to speak his name."

"Surname?" Jiraiya prompted.

Tenten glared at him. "I don't have one," she told him coldly. When he opened his mouth to protest, she elaborated just the tiniest bit more. "I refuse to use _his_ name." That said, she returned to glaring, obviously in a bad mood.

Jiraiya closed his mouth, swallowed, and said weakly, "Next girl?"

Ino pushed her hair over her shoulder with a tiny flourish. "My name is Yamanaka Ino. I have no idea who Turned me."

The white-haired vampire raised an eyebrow inquiringly. Ino shrugged. "Well, there was this stake… and it… well, it just sort of… _appeared_ in his chest just after I woke up…" She smiled innocently.

Jiraiya winced and discreetly moved away from her. "Yes, yes, very good, Ino-chan," he said quickly, looking at Naruto. "How about you?"

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto exclaimed energetically. "Hinata-chan brought me here!" He squeezed her hand, causing her to blush.

The older vampire sighed in relief. "And the last young lady?" he asked, crossing his fingers behind his back and praying that she was normal.

Lady Luck decided not to spare him. "The name given to me is Sakura," Sakura announced finally. "I was Turned by Tsunade-shishou."  
Jiraiya's head snapped up and he stumbled backward in shock. "_Tsu-Tsunade-hime's apprentice_?!" he yelped.

"Oh, calm down," an old woman's shaky voice rebuked. An elderly female with her near white hair in a bun on top of her head walked over to them, surveying Sakura sharply. "That slug girl is your shishou, eh?"

"Slug girl…?" Sakura looked at her in confusion.

Jiraiya came to her rescue. "When Tsunade-hime was younger, she used to like having all these slugs around her," he explained, shuddering. "Speaking of Tsunade-hime, why didn't she come?"  
"This place holds memories she would rather not remember," Sakura replied quietly, as Tsunade had instructed.

"And the young lady who was with her when she left?" Jiraiya pressed.

Sakura glared at him. "She is no longer living," she mumbled. As Tsunade had expected, that stopped any further questions from Jiraiya.

"I'm here!" a female vampire with long, black hair and red eyes called cheerfully as she glided into the room.

Jiraiya looked up. "Ah, there you are, Kurenai! Now we can begin." He turned to face Sakura and the others. "You can't stay here for a year, doing nothing, so we're going to put you to work." He waited until Naruto's protests had subsided, thanks to Hinata, before continuing. "There are four groups that are willing to take you. For example, I am in charge of feeding the few humans – and the occasional vampire – who dwell in the Castle. If you are interested in helping me, you will talk to me afterwards."

The old woman stepped forward. "I am Chiyo, head of the poisons and healing ward of the Castle." Her eyes paused briefly on Sakura before continuing to jump from person to person.

"Deidara and I are in charge of the weapons and explosives of the Castle," Sasori stated from behind them.

Kurenai rolled her eyes. "You're no fun," she complained half-heartedly. "I'm Kurenai, and I'm the one in charge of the whole Castle's wardrobe!"

Ino's eyes lit up in excitement. Seeing this, Kurenai captured the blonde and proceeded to drag her away. Ami hesitated, then followed forlornly behind.

"…She's acting like a kidnapper again, un," Deidara muttered in the silence that followed, punctuated every once in a while by mad laughter, courtesy of the black-haired woman.

"That lady is creepy," Naruto commented as he approached Jiraiya. "I want to work with the food!"

Jiraiya looked disappointed. "None of the ladies?" he asked desperately.

Hinata stepped forward, playing with her fingers. "I-I w-will k-keep N-Naruto-kun c-company…"

Before Jiraiya could say anything, he found himself pinned down by Neji's glare. "Don't. Touch. My. Cousin," he growled.

"B-but – "

"Don't touch her." By now, Sakura and Tenten had joined Neji and added their glares to his. Jiraiya cowered, shrinking away especially from Sakura's glare.

"All right, all right! You're going to burn a hole in me!" He raised his hands in surrender. "Come on, you two." He gestured for them to follow and then swept away, glancing nervously back at Sakura every so often.

"Good riddance," Tenten sighed as she shook her head. "Naruto had better be alert…"

"I doubt that Jiraiya-san will do anything after you three just threatened him like that," Sasori remarked stoically. He tilted his head towards Tenten. "You will be coming with Deidara and me, yes?" Tenten blushed and nodded.

"That leaves Tsunade's girl with me," Chiyo grumbled. "You come with me, and you – " she pointed at Tenten " – follow my grandson."  
"Your grandson…?" Tenten began uncertainly.

"That would be me," Sasori said with a slight air of impatience.

"Ah." Tenten waved to Sakura. "I'll see you later, then!"

Sakura managed to nod before Chiyo tugged her away. The old woman led her through dark, twisting tunnels and up a long, winding staircase to reach a doorway with cloth acting as the door.

Chiyo pushed the cloth aside and stepped in, gesturing toward the various herbs in the room. "You know what to do with them," she said. "When you some in here, I will give you a list of the items that I need. Poisons, antidotes, I expect them all to be the best quality. If you need help, ask me."

"Hai, Chiyo-baasama," Sakura murmured, gazing around her. Here were even more herbs than there had been in the store!  
As Chiyo began to point out the locations of the equipment, Sakura's gaze fell upon a familiar-looking pile of powder.

Chiyo saw her peering at it and said, "One of the young fools brought it up here. I can't figure out what its components are!"  
Her eyes snapped up to Sakura's face when the half-immortal listed the ingredients off the top of her head. She asked Sakura to repeat what she'd just said, which Sakura did without hesitation.

"How did you determine that so quickly?" Chiyo asked sharply. Sakura, realizing her mistake, searched for an answer that would not give her away.

"I – I've heard of something like this before," she lied. "Tsunade-shishou told me about a powder that looked like that."

Chiyo still looked suspicious, but said nothing. Instead, she put Sakura to work confirming the ingredients of the powder. Sakura obeyed, but knew she was right. She had made it, after all.

An hour later, she had performed the final test, which proved, without a doubt, all of the parts of the anti-vampire powder. As she reported the results to Chiyo, she felt warm breath on her neck, and a pair of pale hands was placed on her shoulders.

"Have you figured out what the powder I brought was, Chiyo-sama?" as chillingly familiar voice asked.

"Sakura figured it out," Chiyo answered gruffly. "Tsunade taught her well, that's for sure."

"Itachi-san." Sakura turned, bowing politely. She tried not to shudder as she remembered the feeling of his hands on her shoulders. "You were the one who brought this in?"

"Yes," he answered softly, crimson eyes looking intensely into hers. "I… found it in a most interesting place…"

"Really?" Sakura fought to keep her voice steady. "Intriguing, Itachi-san."

"Yes," Itachi agreed. Then he raised his voice a little. "On a different note, your friends are downstairs waiting for you. You should not keep them waiting."

Her head snapped up, the hidden implications in his previous statements completely forgotten. "Oh! They're waiting for me - !" She turned to Chiyo, who shooed her away with an "I don't need you" that was not at all meant."\

"I will escort you," Itachi announced, placing a cold hand on her shoulder. She shrugged and ducked under the cloth with him following. Feeling his dark gaze on the back of her head, she took the stairs two at a time; yet he somehow managed to keep up with little effort.

The way his hand gripped her shoulder tightly, never letting go, irked her, and she was relieved to see Tenten and Ino in the Main Hall. When she tried to go forward to meet them, Itachi held her back and lowered his mouth to her ear.

"You will never be rid of me," he whispered, and then he was gone, leaving a shaken Sakura to approach her friends.

Ino hurried forward. "Are you all right, Sakura-chan?" she asked anxiously, peering into Sakura's face.

"Yeah," Tenten contributed. "You're so pale… What happened? Was the old lady that bad?"

"I-iie," Sakura managed to get out. "It's nothing."

"If you say so," Tenten shrugged. "In any case, we're going out! To hunt, feed, do whatever!" She practically radiated with glee.

"But be sure to be back by sunrise," a deep voice reminded them. Sasori faced Tenten. "You won't die from the sunlight, but it will be uncomfortable. And you have to help us polish the weapons."

Tenten nodded quickly. "Be back before dawn – we'll remember. Ja ne, Sasori-san!" she called as she dragged Ino and Sakura outside.

"Just couldn't bear to leave your beloved, could you?" Sakura teased. Tenten's face flamed.

"I'm _sorry!_" she exclaimed. "I haven't been outside since yesterday, so I cant' help it!" She proceeded to pull them along to the closest town, where she stopped and surveyed the landscape for night dwelling humans.

A voice stopped them all in their tracks.

"Are you vampires?"

- - -

**Well, I'm done. Ja!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, straight to the chapter.**

**- - -**

Sakura froze before pivoting on the spot to face the questioner. "What did you say?"

Her eyes found the innocent face of a small boy who looked up at them suspiciously. "I said, are you vampires?" he repeated.

"Iie!" she laughed nervously. "Of course we're not! What gives you that idea, chibi-chan?"  
He pouted at the nickname. "My haha said that nobody who walks around at night is good. She said they're all vampires."

"I'm sure your okaasama is looking for you," Ino coughed. "You should go home, chibi-chan."  
The little boy's face scrunched up in a scowl. "My haha is dead," he said softly. "A vampire got her. That's why I don't want you to be vampires. You're too nice to be vampires."

Sakura smiled sadly. "I promise you that I'm not a vampire, chibi-chan," she half-lied gently. "Go home and stay inside tonight, ne?"

He nodded slowly, turned, and ran off in the dark. As Sakura and Tenten watched him, Ino sighed. "You're too soft to be vampires," she mumbled.

She'd barely finished her sentence when a dark shape swooped down onto the little boy's running figure. Tenten muffled a cry as the newcomer lowered his mouth to the struggling child's neck.

Sakura stepped forward, but Ino and Tenten held her back with some difficulty. "You can't deny an immortal his prey," Tenten hissed, but Sakura heard the undertones of sadness and fear in her voice.

She stopped abruptly as the vampire before them dropped the boy's drained body and lifted his head towards them.

"Uchiha-san," Tenten greeted flatly. Ino inclined her head just enough to be polite, and Sakura only turned and stalked away.

"You are not ignoring me, are you?" Sasuke's voice purred in her ear. His arms wrapped around her slim waist, meant to look comforting but in reality a silent threat. "Sakura-chan?"

"Of course not, Uchiha-san," she replied bitterly, trying to ignore the fact that the hands on her body had held a child's corpse mere seconds ago.

Her answer seemed to satisfy him, because he pressed bloodstained lips to her cheek before disappearing to find another victim.

Emerald eyes stared, unseeing, at the tiny form on the ground. She knelt beside it and placed experienced fingers to his wrist. There was no pulse.

"He could have left enough to live on," she whispered. "If one of use had fed on chibi-chan, he could still be alive…"

Ino helped her stand up as Tenten moved the body into the shadows, hiding it. "Come on," the blonde coaxed. "Living here without a mother, he would have died eventually anyways. There was nothing you could do."

"I'm sure you're hungry," Tenten said in a motherly tone of voice which reminded Sakura of Tsunade. "Ino-san and I still have to feed, and we have to find food for you." When Sakura didn't respond, she added in a slightly sharper tone, "Sakura-san, he is dead! There is nothing you can do to bring him back now!"

Sakura's eyes refocused as Tenten shook her roughly. When the brunette saw her friend's eyes clear, she let go and stepped back. "Sakura-san…?"

"Daijoubu, Tenten-san," Sakura said quietly. "Thank you for reminding me. Let's go hunting, then!" She gave a brilliant smile, and Tenten sighed in relief.

"Sakura-chan, th-there's blood on your cheek," Ino wavered, pointing. Sakura reached up to her face, and her fingers came away red.

"It's from when Sasuke-san kissed you," Tenten told her. "Here – " She held out a black handkerchief. Gratefully, Sakura took it and cleaned her face off. "Keep it, Sakura-san," Tenten mumbled when Sakura tried to hand it back.

"Arigato," Sakura smiled. "Please, call me Sakura. I don't mind."  
"SAKURA-CHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Naruto's voice cried excitedly. A blur of yellow slammed into her; had she not summoned her inhuman strength to keep her upright, she would have toppled to the ground.

"What is it, Naruto-san?" she demanded, groaning.

"Just Naruto, please, Sakura-chan! I found this place that serves this great ramen! I used to love it when I was a human; I think I might still like it!" he babbled. "Will you come with me to try it?"  
"Th-they have t-to f-feed, N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata tried to pry Naruto off of Sakura. "I'm s-sorry, S-Sakura-san!"

"It's okay," Sakura said nonchalantly. "I've already fed." She had scarcely finished speaking when Naruto yanked her away, calling, "We'll be back soon!"

Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto seated himself on a stool at the counter of the ramen stand, still clutching her wrist. "Naruto, let go of my arm, please. You're acting like Kurenai-san."

"Oh. Gomen, Sakura-chan!" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was just so happy that you agreed to come with me…"  
"What do you want?" the owner of the stand, an elderly human, demanded.

"Otousan, don't be so rude!" his brown-haired daughter scolded. She turned to Naruto and Sakura, smiling cheerfully. "Welcome to Ichiraku! What can I get you?"

"I'll have a beef ramen, please," Naruto requested uncertainly.

"I'd like the same, then," Sakura decided, returning the girl's friendly smile. The old man harrumphed and began to cook.

"Ayame, get some more broth, please," he ordered. As she obeyed, he turned to Naruto and Sakura. "You two shouldn't be out so late," he advised gruffly. "They say there are vampires around here…"

"Otousan!" Ayame chided as she returned. "Don't go spreading rumors!" She handed them their bowls of ramen.

Naruto looked at her solemnly as he broke his chopsticks with an "Itadakimasu!" "You don't believe in vampires?"

"Naruto," Sakura mumbled warningly as she dug into her food with starved relief. It was the best thing in the world, she thought, having only eaten a few pieces of bread and an apple the night before.

Ayame shrugged. "They _might_ exist, but I won't believe it until I see it."

Naruto nodded sagely, slurping up his noodles without pausing for breath. Sakura, along with Ayame and the old man, stared in wonder.

"H-how do you eat that fast?" Sakura wanted to know. "Aren't you… full?"

The blonde shrugged as he finished the last of the soup. "It's so good that I can't stop!" he told her as he wiped his mouth.

The old man's lined face broke into a proud smile at Naruto's words. "Go on, then," he said not unkindly, waving Naruto's hand away as he tried to pay. "Take your girlfriend and go away."

Before either immortal could correct him, Ayame laughed at her father. "Otousan, they're not a couple!" she giggled.

"How do you know that?" he replied in slight irritation.

"He's with _her_!" Ayame announced, pointing a slender finger behind Naruto. He and Sakura whirled around to find Hinata at the point of the finger, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"M-me?" she squeaked, hiding behind Naruto.

"Of course you!" Ayame said firmly. "There is a link between you that even I can feel!"

"There had better be," Ino muttered as she and Tenten edged around the thunderstruck couple to stand by Sakura. "She Turned him, after all."

"The sun is almost up." Sakura stood, providing a distraction from Naruto and Hinata's relationship. "We should go."

"Come back soon!" Ayame called as the small group trotted away. Sakura raised a hand in acknowledgement and Naruto grinned.

"Ja ne, Ayame-neechan, ojiisan!" he yelled.

"S-so, d-did you h-have a g-good t-time?" Hinata asked timidly as they entered the castle.

Ino and Tenten glanced at Sakura, but she only nodded and smiled. "Of course, Hinata-chan!" But, as she'd planned, only the two beside her caught the murmured last sentence. "But I hate Uchiha Sasuke."

Dark-hued eyes stared unblinkingly after the pink-haired girl as she walked into her room, talking softly with her friends.

She shivered, pausing in the doorway. It felt as if someone was watching her, their eyes boring holes into her back.

"Is something the matter?" Tenten asked sleepily.

Sakura hesitated before shaking her head and closing the door. "Iie," she murmured. "It's nothing."

All day long, those eyes – eyes which she could not see, but which could see her – haunted her. When dusk fell again, she awoke, breathing heavily, with a cry.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Tenten inquired from her bed. "You've been so still all day; Ino and I tried to move you, but it was like you were afraid to move!"

Clutching the sheets, Sakura remembered how those eyes had pinned her down, paralyzing her body and mind. She closed her eyes and found that she could move.

"I-I'm fine, Tenten," she replied shakily, pulling on her skirt and leggings. Her shirt was so long that it could double as a sleeping gown.

Again, Deidara threw the door open, but this time he was smart enough not to waltz inside. "OHAYO, TENTEN-CHAN, UN!" he sang out.

Tenten grumbled, and something shiny flew over his head, slicing through a few strands of blond hair before reappearing in her hand. "Shut up, Deidara-san," she growled. "Close the door, will you?" She headed to the bathroom.

"B-but Tenten-chan – " Deidara whined.

He shut up as Tenten wheeled about, glaring icily at him and fingering a set of knives at her side. "Deidara-san. Shut. The. Door," she repeated frostily.

"H-hai…" He closed the door quietly and proceeded to wait for them.

"That was amazing, Tenten-chan!" Ino laughed as she pulled the closet open. "What do you think of the clothes? I helped Kurenai-san pick them out myself!"

Sakura looked over the red and black outfits, each one in a different style. "There's… a lot of choices, Ino," she said. "But only two colors?"

"There aren't a lot of colors," Ino admitted. "But if you want I can have an outfit dyed the colors of the rainbow!"  
The others laughed at her offer, assuring her that black and red would suit them. "It's fine, Ino-chan," Tenten gasped as she entered the bathroom.

"If you say so," Ino pouted, obviously disappointed at not having an excuse to exercise her newfound authority

"Are you coming out, Tenten?" Sasori called, rapping at the door. Immediately, Tenten was dressed and her hair was up in its two buns.

"Coming, Sasori-san!" she replied as she opened the door. She failed to hear Ino and Sakura snickering into their hands as they followed.

**- - -**

**So there.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah. Here is chapter five. Thanks to all of the people who reviewed and to all of the people who didn't review but read, favourited, or alerted (or anything, really) this!!!! I'd give you all cookies, but I'm afraid they'd accuse me of food poisoning. And with all of you dead, where would I be?**

**- - -**

In the end, a schedule worked itself out. Sasori and Deidara woke Tenten up to take her away, and in the process woke the others as well. Sakura buried up the stairs to meet Chiyo, who put her to work from the instant she stepped inside the room until about midnight.

At exactly midnight, Itachi showed up in the doorway and walked her down to her friends. He never forgot to remind her that she would never be rid of him. Then he disappeared and she silently joined those who were leaving to hunt. After feeding, they returned to the Castle and spent the rest of the night amusing themselves.

True to his word, Itachi always seemed to be around the Castle. He did not quite follow her, but wherever she went, there seemed to be an urgent errand that sent him there. The only time she did not see him was when she and the others were out hunting, and that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't there.

Time and time again, she thanked Tsunade mentally for the fangs that her foster mother had given her; they enabled her to blend in and feed.

"Since you're half-mortal, how did you get fangs?" Ino asked curiously. When Sakura removed her fangs, both of her roommates were fascinated by her blunt incisors.

"As long as you keep your mouth closed, I can't tell the difference," Tenten mused, biting her lip thoughtfully.

Her reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Get up," Sasuke's voice commanded irritably. "Sasori and Deidara are waiting for you in the weapons room today."

Tenten lit up. "I get to learn how to wield the large weapons today!" she crowed gleefully. She sped away without another word. Sakura shook her head in exasperation, walking towards the stairs with Ino following.

"She is absolutely infatuated with those weapons," she sighed. "How she manages to remember all the different ways to wield them is beyond me."

"Most things are," Sasuke sneered as he sauntered alongside them, smirking smugly.

Sakura's temper flared, but Ino beat her to it. "UCHIHA SASUKE, YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" she shrieked, enraged.

"Ino-chan! There you are!" Kurenai exclaimed, rushing over with Ami tagging along behind her. She put a calming hand on her fuming blond underling and frowned. "Well, come along."

As Ino was hustled away, Sakura hissed to Sasuke, "You planned that, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Sakura," he replied, but he was smirking in satisfaction.

"Why, you – "

Before Sakura could tell Sasuke exactly what he was, Ami appeared beside him, clutching his arm in a deathgrip. "Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" she repeated shrilly. Any other vampire would have winced, but Sasuke only flinched.

"What is it?" his tone was blunt and irritated.

Undaunted by his lack of enthusiastic response, Ami tugged him toward where Ino and Kurenai had disappeared. "Sasuke-kun, I want you to stay with us!"

"No," Sasuke snapped rudely. "I'm walking Sakura upstairs."

Sakura bristled. "I can walk myself up, thank you very much!" she interjected indignantly.

"Nonetheless, _I_ shall bring you up. Sasuke, you are now free to go with the other young lady," Itachi's silky voice sounded in her ear as he placed his hands on her shoulders. She shivered at his cold touch as he spun her around and led her away, leaving a speechless Ami and a seething Sasuke.

"Not even a 'Thank you for walking me up', Sakura-chan?" he deadpanned. She stared at him incredulously.

"I didn't ask to be walked up," she pointed out.

"But I walked you up anyways," Itachi replied smoothly. "I think I deserve some gratitude."

She held in her snide comment and bowed instead. "Thank you for walking me up, Itachi-san," she ground out through gritted teeth.

"That is hardly satisfactory, Sakura-chan," he told her.

She straightened up, glared at him, and ducked inside Chiyo's room. "Well, it's all you're going to get."

With her back to him, she missed the narrowing of his eyes and the tiny smirk that crossed his lips. "Not quite, Sakura-chan…"

The moment she was fully inside the room, Chiyo pounced. "Sakura, I have three poisons that I need antidotes for by the end of the night. I'm afraid that I can't let you leave until I have them." She shrugged, not looking apologetic at all.

Sakura sighed ruefully, taking the samples and examining them critically. Naruto had promised to treat her to Ichiraku's newest flavor of ramen.

_**But I really want to go!**_ Inner Sakura complained. Sakura began setting up the tests she needed to perform, ignoring Inner Sakura's whining.

She meticulously recorded the components of the poisons and racked her brain, trying to work out counteractive substances that would not neutralize each other for each.

By the time she had produced a bright green antidote for the first poison, Inner Sakura had accepted the fact that she wasn't going to make it in time to feed with the others and her voice, which had subsided to a moderate volume, offered helpful ideas.

When Itachi slipped through the door, she was concentrating on adding the last part of the second antidote, and only the unique feel of his presence alerted her that he was there.

"Your friends are waiting," he announced softly, as he always did. This time, though, instead of packing up as usual, she merely nodded and looked up.

"Could you please tell them that they should go on ahead? I need to finish the last antidote," she requested. Inclining his head courteously, he left the room.

Pulling the last page of results toward her, she closed her eyes for a moment. When Inner Sakura went silent, she opened them again and scanned the page. Nibbling thoughtfully on her lower lip, she placed a fresh sheet of paper in front of her and began writing.

There was silence for a while, and Inner Sakura was beginning to wonder if Chiyo was still alive when Itachi appeared in the doorway once more. His gazed fixed on the side of her head, making her shift uncomfortably.

"They are gone," he reported quietly. Sakura nodded in thanks, her eyes never leaving her paper.

"Arigato, Itachi-san," she murmured, inspecting her writing. "I just need to put this together…"

"Give it to me," Chiyo said suddenly, holding out her hand. "I can do it. Go out and hunt, Sakura."

Sakura tried to protest, but the old vampire had already snatched the papers out of her hands. She relented reluctantly.

"Arigato, Chiyo-baasama," she whispered, bowing. Chiyo waved her away, mumbling to herself, and Itachi steered her out the door.

Once they were outside the room, he spun around and pinned her to the wall with both hands. Her eyes widened in shock, and suddenly his mouth was on hers. He pressed her against the wall using his body and took advantage of her momentary distraction by ruthlessly pushing his tongue between her lips and into her mouth.

She felt him trail a finger lazily down her neck and froze in fear as it paused above her jugular vein. Smirking against her mouth, he ran his hand down her side to rest lightly on her hip.

"Itachi-san," she gasped as he left her mouth. "What are you doing?"

"Claiming my thanks," he replied huskily as he trailed his cold lips down her neck. When he opened his mouth to scrape his fangs slowly over her jugular, she reflexively jerked away and stared at him, trembling.

For a few moments, there was no sound save for Sakura's harsh, ragged breathing as Itachi eyed her. Then he turned and stepped onto the stairs.

"Avoid being alone with my brother," he said softly, with his back still to her. "You are mine."

Sakura surprised herself by contradicting him. "No, I am not," she whispered, almost to herself. He paused, letting her know he was listening. "I belong to the one who Turned me. I belong to Tsunade-shishou."

When she raised her eyes, he was looking straight at her. She shivered at the intensity of his gaze and tried to brush past him. She would have succeeded, had he not grabbed her arm and held her back.

"I will take you hunting tonight," he stated. The steely glint in his eyes convinced her not to protest.

Instead, she bowed her head obediently. "Hai, Itachi-san," she murmured. Satisfied, he let her go and continued down the stairs with her trailing meekly behind.

"Fly," he commanded as the cool night air hit them. Without wasting her energy by bothering to reply when he obviously didn't expect her to, she immediately closed her eyes and forced her wings out.

When she looked up wearily, Itachi had also sprouted his own midnight-feathered wings. Instead of commenting on her lack of speed, though, he only turned and spread his wings, blending almost completely into the dark background and looking strangely familiar.

_No doubt he can disappear totally as well,_ she mused to herself, but something tugged at her memory, creating a sense of unease. Outwardly, she followed his lead, spiraling up into the inky night sky.

As they neared the ground, a sudden thought hit her. She fought back the nausea and concentrated on landing safely.

_Of course she knew that pose._ She had seen those wings so many nights ago, but they were etched into her mind. The realization of just who Uchiha Itachi was left a chill in her body.

She fell to the ground with a cry, and when he bent over her, she staggered to her feet, swaying.

To her surprise, he held her steady and led her to lean against a brick wall. "Wait here," he told her, and left.

"So he has my pouch, hm…?" she mumbled shakily to herself. Then she laughed quietly, though there was nothing about which to laugh. "And here I was hoping it would be someone not so powerful…"

"Talking to yourself, Sakura-chan?" Itachi raised an eyebrow in amusement as he returned with blood on his lips and a young woman with glazed-over eyes in tow. He thrust the girl toward Sakura, wiping his lips gracefully. "Feed. You overworked yourself."

The blood revived her a little and she stood, no longer unsteady. Itachi tossed the girl's body away and pulled Sakura to him, with her back to his chest.

"I could return you right now," he breathed into her ear. "I could drain you and force you to accept my blood. I could own your body, mind, heart, and soul."

"Y-you wouldn't…." she trembled, feeling his hand creep up her side to tug her closer.

"Don't tempt me, Sakura-chan," he whispered, pressing his icy lips to her cheek. When he let her go, she wondered what she had gotten herself into.

The energy from the blood was just enough that she didn't look too weary on the flight back to the Castle. But the ache in her stomach was intense, as a result of its being filled with mostly liquid, and vaguely she wondered if there was any human food.

The problem was solved as soon as they stepped foot in the Castle. Itachi's hand settled for a brief moment on her shoulder, the pressure just enough to remind her of its presence, before Naruto skidded to a halt in front of her. When she glanced sideways out of the corner of her eyes, Itachi was gone.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted energetically. "I brought back some of that new ramen!" He held it out.

"Th-thank you, Naruto…" She began to fall, but Ino caught her before her head made contact with the ground.

"Good, Naruto," Tenten said hastily, snatching the ramen out of his hands. "Sakura will eat it in our room. Ja ne!"

"Why did you go hunting?!" Ino exclaimed exasperatedly. "You could have come to us for Naruto's ramen!"

"Itachi-san took me," Sakura mumbled from her position on her bed. "He would have been suspicious if I hadn't gone out."

"That was the right choice, then," Tenten replied, feeding her friend. "Not necessarily a safe choice, and definitely not a smart choice, but the right choice nonetheless."

As soon as she had finished the food, Sakura sat up, rubbing her eyes. "That _is_ a good flavour," she muttered thoughtfully. "I'll have to go thank Naruto."

"Glad you think so." Tenten made a face. "He forced us all to try it."

Sakura laughed and burrowed under her covers, bidding the others a good rest. For the first time in many days, unseen eyes did not haunt her.

Instead, they were the crimson eyes that belonged to Uchiha Itachi.

- - -

**Well, yeah. I'm sorry that I took so long. People have been yelling at me… Heh heh. So, it is revealed that Itachi was the attacker waaaaaaaaaay from the first chapter. Come on, who didn't see that? It was kinda obvious…. Or maybe it's just me. You may have noticed that I switch back and forth between the American and British spellings of "flavour" and "favourite". I'm American. It just depends on what kind of mood I'm in when I type, and what my beta thinks.**

**OMG OMG I'm obsessed with Grand Theft Autumn by Fall Out Boy and Hallelujah by Paramore. I don't know why.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Reading the really good fanfictions (like paws-bells' stuff, and Lady Hanaka's stuff…) and looking at the really good fanart makes me depressed. Therefore, I am determined to… do something. I've got a twisted sense of logic, don't I?**

**- - -**

She was trapped. No, not trapped; she could still move. But no matter where she ran, no matter where she hid, those eyes always followed her – the blood red eyes of Uchiha Itachi.

"Why do you run?" his voice whispered quietly. "You cannot hide from me; you are mine… All mine…"  
"Sakura! Wake up!" Someone slapped her face, none too gently. Groaning, Sakura opened her eyes to see Ino hovering above her with a frown.

Still lying on her back, she took in her surroundings. Tenten, perched on the end of her bed. The open door, through which Deidara was peering curiously.

"Daijoubu, Sakura?" Ino asked in an undertone. "You were thrashing around." She straightened up and glared at Deidara.

"Close the door," Tenten snapped, filling a cup with cold water. "We'll be out in a moment." Cringing, the blond male gently shut the door.

"What happened?" Ino inquired as Sakura drained the glass.

Sakura frowned, lowering her feet to the ground. "I – "

Before she could finish the sentence, the door flew open and dark eyes glared in. Sakura recoiled before realizing that they belonged not to the elder Uchiha brother but the younger.

"What do you want?" Ino demanded. She shrieked in protest as he strode into the room and she was shoved aside.

"Go with Sasori," Sasuke ordered Tenten.

"And if I don't want to?" she shot back.

"Now!" he added sharply. Reluctant to leave but wanting to anger the Uchiha even less, Tenten threw an apologetic glance at Sakura before hurrying out to where Deidara was waiting.

Sasuke shifted his gaze onto Ino's determined face. Before she could say anything, Ami poked her head into the room.

"Kurenai-sensei wants you, Ino!" she chirped in a sing-song voice, eyes glinting maliciously. "I guess you'll have to leave your poor friend all alone"! Without letting Ino get a word in edgewise, she scurried into the room, grasped Ino's arm, and pranced out, not forgetting to give Sasuke a flirtatious wink.

Sakura watched silently, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Inner Sakura mumbled something rude under her breath. Sasuke raised a dark eyebrow at her.

"Kurenai needed her," he stated abruptly. "Is there a reason that Ino-san was late?"

Inner Sakura glowered at him and stuck out her tongue, accompanied by a rude hand gesture; but outwardly, she fought to maintain cool.

"Nightmare," she answered softly. "They were trying to wake me up."

Sasuke smirked. "Would you care to elaborate, Sakura-chan?"

Beryl eyes flashed in anger at him. "Not particularly," she shrugged. He scowled darkly, face thunderous, and reached out to grab her wrist.

Without a word, he stormed out of the Castle into the night, dragging her with him. Finally, out of sight of the Castle, he turned and let her go.

"_Listen to me_," he hissed in rage. "When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it!"

She stepped away from him, keeping her eyes fixed on his face and yet not quite able to look into his eyes. "You didn't _tell_ me to do anything," she pointed out smartly. "You asked me if I wanted to elaborate, so I told you the truth."

That had been the wrong thing to say, she knew, when he froze, but she didn't care. Now that there was no one to hold her back, she could hold her own against him.

Giving a wordless growl, Sasuke lunged. His hands were outstretched, reaching for her throat in order to strangle her. Grinning ferally, Sakura ducked under them and her leg shot up from under him to catch him squarely in the chest. The force of the blow threw him back ten feet.

Shakily, he climbed to his feet. He stared in shock at her as she rose as well from her crouch. Saying nothing, she waited for him to make the next move. She was not disappointed; he flickered once and disappeared from sight.

Closing her eyes, she whirled and delivered a punch to her left, just as Sasuke flashed into the existence there. Again, he was sent flying.

With a fierce cry, he materialized behind her and managed to land a kick on her ribs before she gave him a blow that sent him to the ground. This time, he didn't get up.

Sakura felt herself falling – toward him, she realized with slight irritation – and then suddenly, she was not. She vaguely registered the arms around her and she small dose of herbs that was forced into her mouth before she blacked out.

- - -

When she came to, she was on the ground with Itachi kneeling beside her. Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

"Stand up," Itachi commanded her curtly, his voice steel and silk. She obeyed, trembling at the cold expression on his face.

"Chiyo-sama asked me to look for you," he said softly. "And when I finally found you, you were about to collapse on top of my brother. What did I tell you?"

She shivered; Itachi intimidated her in a way that his brother did not. "You told me to stay away from him," she whispered shakily.

"You are not to be alone with him because…?" he continued.

"You seem to be under the delusion that I belong to you," she completed in a tiny voice that shook with fear and hatred mixed together.

SMACK!

She clenched her fists and bit her lip in an effort to keep from crying out, meekly taking the punishment. She steeled herself for a second slap, but he did not strike her again.

Instead, he turned away, walking toward the Castle. "Chiyo-sama will want you soon," he told her smoothly, as if nothing had happened. "I will bring you down when your friends are ready to hunt. This time, stay away from my brother. _Do you understand?_"

"H-hai, Itachi-san," she nodded, hurrying to catch up with him. He glanced down at her with something akin to approval in his eyes.

_**He's so creepy**_, Inner Sakura shuddered nervously, but Sakura hushed her quickly, wondering if Itachi could read minds.

"Sakura! Get in here; you're going to be quite busy tonight!" Chiyo snatched her from Itachi and whisked her away into the room, interrupting her thoughts.

"Arigato for bringing me up, Itachi-san," Sakura mumbled, bowing awkwardly as she remembered the last time she'd neglected to properly thank him.

He smirked, causing Inner Sakura to flame up in outrage. "You are welcome, Sakura-chan," he replied in his deep, velvety voice. "Goodnight – " and he was gone.

_**That bastard,**_ Inner Sakura hissed, glaring after him angrily. Sakura thanked each and every god of which she knew that Itachi couldn't see her inner persona.

"Well, come along, Sakura!" Chiyo chided, pulling her inside. "We haven't got all night."

"Hai, Chiyo-baasama." Engrossed in the work that was set before her by the old healer, she did not notice the night passing until Itachi appeared in the doorway.

"Your friends are waiting," he remarked nonchalantly. She could feel his smoldering gaze on the back of her head.

"You may go," Chiyo announced, filing papers. Sakura nodded in thanks and stood, stacking the papers on which she had been working before handing them to Chiyo to be put away.

Not a word was spoken as they descended the stairs but at the bottom, as he always did, he held her back. "I will never be gone," he breathed into her ear before she found herself alone. She shook herself and stepped out to meet her friends.

"What happened this morning?" Tenten demanded the moment she caught sight of Sakura. "After I left and Sasuke-san – " She suddenly stopped talking and went pale.

"Sakura." She whirled around to see Sasuke himself, who seemed to have dropped the taunting suffix from her name.

"Yes?" She swallowed, remembering Hinata's warning from long ago. _"Y-you sh-should p-probably t-try not t-to a-anger U-Uchiha-san. H-he and S-Sasuke-san h-have a lot of i-influence h-here…"_

_Now that I think about it, fighting him probably wasn't the smartest thing to do…_

"May I speak to you about…" he trailed off, frowning at her friends' inquisitive looks.

"About the fight?" Sakura supplied bluntly. Ino and Tenten's eyes widened.

He winced slightly, nodding and looking disgruntled. "I was wondering if I could talk to you outside… alone…?" Something in his voice told her that he intended to get a rematch, and she almost agreed when a voice that sounded suspiciously like Itachi's reverberated around her head.

_Mine…_

Halfway through her answer, she changed her mind. "Ye – No. We should go hunting. Sorry." She gestured at her friends, not looking the least bit sorry.

A slow sneer spread across his lips. "Afraid?"

She shrugged casually. "Assume what you like, Uchiha-san. Goodnight." Taking Ino and Tenten's hands, she swept out the door.

"What happened?" Tenten asked incredulously. "Most people don't refuse him like that."

Sakura shrugged again, letting go of them. "I beat him up this morning, but now that he knows I can fight, he won't hold back. And I haven't eaten yet."

"You beat him?!" Ino exclaimed. Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth quickly.

"Shh!" she hissed. "Just barely, and he was holding back! He hit me once and I went unconscious because of it!" She reached down to her ribs, but there was not even a bruise.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Tenten asked, seeing Sakura's look of confusion.

"Iie." Sakura shook her head. "It's nothing." The conversation abruptly turned to a different subject as Hinata, Naruto, and Neji were spotted.

Sakura stepped out of the way as Naruto thundered past, snatching Hinata's arm and pulling her out of his grasp. As predicted, he skidded to a halt and wheeled around.

"HINATA-CHAAAAAAAAN!"

"Moron," Neji grunted as he calmly sauntered behind them.

"Neji-teme!" Naruto snapped back.

"Shut up, Naruto, Neji-chan!" Sakura released Hinata and watched in amusement as the white-eyed male twitched at the nickname.

Finally, with a wrenching effort, he managed to get himself under control again. "Let's go," he growled, stalking away from them towards the town.

Tenten giggled brightly. "Anything you say, Neji-chan!" Ino echoed her impishly, causing Hinata to smother her laughter and Naruto to chuckle out loud.

Now anger radiated off of Neji in waves, so strong that they could feel it. In the midst of all their laughter, Ino failed to hear Kurenai calling to her.

- - -

**So I do realize that Itachi probably wouldn't hit Sakura, but I felt the urgent need to use onomatopoeia. So there. And Lyneia asked what Tenten's parents were, because obviously they couldn't have both been vampires, or she would have been one as well. I guess that they were both human when Tenten was born, her mother died, and somewhere along the line Tenten's father was Turned. Maybe that's why he had that thirst for blood. Tenten doesn't really like to talk about her past, though, so even if somebody finds the hole in her story, they won't ask.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ah, and Tobi is back. Tobi would have been back earlier, but sempai was so mean to Tobi. Sempai kept hitting Tobi, and all Tobi was doing was calling sempai sempai. **

**(And if you're confused, well… so is Tobi.)**

**Disclaimer: Tobi doesn't own Naruto because Tobi is a good boy, and neither does sempai.**

**- - -**

"INO!" The first thing that reached their ears when they stepped back into the Castle was Ami's shrill voice.

"What is it, Ami?" Ino demanded, placing her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes.

"Kurenai-sensei wants you to clean the sorting room!" Ami said smugly. "I've done my share."

"What, you picked up a piece of dust and moved it somewhere else?" Ino suggested lazily.

"I did clean it!" Ami shrieked.

"Then I really don't want to see the room. You probably made the mess twice as bad," Ino retorted. Ami stamped her foot and ran off.

"That wasn't very kind of you," Sakura observed. Tenten had been whisked off by Sasori to be shown a new sword that had just arrived.

Ino shrugged. "It's the truth; she's so lazy that if I wasn't there, Kurenai-sensei might as well not have a helper at all."

"I can imagine that," Sakura admitted. "I'll help you clean; I don't mind something to do."

"Thanks!" Ino beamed. "It'll go faster with two of us!" As if to prove that she was learning from Kurenai, she grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her away, laughing madly.

She stopped laughing when she saw the room. There were clothes scattered in random piles on the floor. Ino's eye twitched.

"That lazy little – " she growled. Sighing, she resignedly began to pick up the black and red clothes and systematically fold and place them in neat stacks according to size and color.

After gaping at the mess for a moment, Sakura caught onto Ino's method and began helping.

"How do you manage?" she muttered, pulling a tiny red skirt off of a pair of large black pants.

"Barely," Ino sighed in exasperation. "Normally, we can stop this before she gets too far. Ami's no help at all."

Suddenly, shrilly screamed words that Sakura could not make out split the air. Ino's head snapped up.

"Kuso," she muttered. "Ami's yelling at someone again. I have to go stop her before she gets someone in trouble." She stood up, hesitating.

Sakura smiled, taking the folded clothes from Ino. "I understand, Ino. I can finish up here," she offered kindly. Ino handed the clothes over gratefully and whisked out of the room.

The pink-haired girl continued sorting in silence, listening to Ami's shrieks waning in strength until they were almost gone. Then, abruptly, they began again, louder than before – Ino had obviously arrived.

Shaking her head, Sakura pulled the last skirt off of the floor and discovered a not from Kurenai to Ino.

_Ino-chan,_

_Please deliver Itachi-san's cloak to him. I'm leaving this with Ami, so I hope you'll get it soon._

_Arigato, Kurenai_

Glancing at the black cloak adorned with red clouds, Sakura lifted an eyebrow.

Ami had neglected to remind Ino, obviously assuming that the blonde would find the paper in the pile of clothes.

Sakura sighed, hefting the last bundle of clothes onto the shelf and picking up Itachi's cloak. Turning Kurenai's note over, she scribbled,

_Ino,_

_I'm delivering Itachi-san's cloak to him. If I'm not back by the time you find this, I've probably gotten lost upstairs. I'll find my way back somehow. Tell Ami she's a horrible messenger._

_Sakura_

Placing it firmly atop the clothes so that Ino would see it, she shut the door and set off to find Itachi's room.

- - -

_This would be so much easier if I knew where I was going,_ Sakura complained to herself.

_**You could have asked,**_ Inner Sakura chided her. Sakura only rolled her eyes and peered at the name on the door before her.

_Oh, it's Sasuke-s room…_ She wondered briefly if he would tell her where his brother's room was. After contemplating knocking, she decided against it and moved on.

Once she raised her hand to knock on Sasori's door, then remembered that he was downstairs with Tenten. She jumped when a large hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Are you one of the new ones?" the blue immortal leered, showing unusually sharp teeth, even for a vampire. "Why are you lurking about this floor?"

Sakura found that he did not intimidate her as much as Itachi did, though he certainly was much more frightening than Sasuke, especially by way of looks. His aura of danger did not cause her to tremble and stutter.

"I am looking for Itachi-san's room," she replied quietly, gesturing to the cloak in her hands.

At once the vampire's smile dropped. "Ah," he said hastily "I see. It's down that way, the second from the end of the hallway."

"Arigato – ?" she paused.

"Kisame," he supplied. "Hoshigaki Kisame."

She bowed, being careful not to let Itachi's cloak touch the ground. "Arigato gozaimasu, Kisame-san."

"Yeah, yeah, go give Itachi-san his cloak," Kisame waved her away not unkindly before disappearing into his room.

Halfway down the hall, she knew something was wrong. A wave of nausea hit her, followed by dizziness. Clutching the wall for support, she waited for it to pass. Except that it didn't seem to want to leave her.

It was minutes (hours, days, or was it seconds?) before she could stand on unsteady feet. Following Kisame's instructions, she stumbled down the hallway and managed to knock on the door. Itachi opened it and caught her body just as she began to fall forward, eyes fluttering closed.

"Sakura-chan." She felt the vibrations from his chest against her cheek, and suddenly the dizziness was gone.

"G-gomen, Itachi-san," she mumbled, pulling away to stand. He kept a steadying hand on her elbow as he took his cloak from her and led her into his room.

"Thank you for bringing my cloak up," he told her as he closed the door. "I was going to go and ask Kurenai-san where it was."

"You're welcome," Sakura answered, rubbing her temples. She stood beside his bed, aware of his gaze on her face as he crossed the room to stand before her.

"I wonder what will happen if I do this," he said as if to himself, staring at her. Suddenly, pain erupted through her mind and she clutched her head, crying out.

It stopped instantly as he stroked a finger down the side of her face. "Hm… Interesting…" he mused.

She shuddered and willed her unshed tears to disappear as he continued to caress her cheek with his slender hand. "Wh-what is interesting, Itachi-san?" she quavered.

Instead of answering her question, he reached into a pocket with his free hand and drew out a small, familiar-looking cloth pouch.

She drew in breath sharply, and he smirked. "You have seen this pouch before, yes?"

"I-iie, Itachi-san," she stammered. "I haven't – "

"It would not be wise," he interrupted her, holding a cautioning finger to her lips, "to lie to me. This pouch belonged to you, did it not?" His crimson eyes bore into hers.

She hung her head. "H-hai," she whispered. "It's mine."

His smirk widened in satisfaction. "I see. That is what I thought. Do you know where I found this, Sakura-chan?"

His infuriating smirk drove her to lose her temper. "You stole it from me!" she spat, abandoning all pretense.

"On the contrary," he replied, unshaken by her outburst. "I merely took it from the body of one who should not be alive. It is a beautiful piece of work."

"It's not complete," she muttered sullenly, fingering the metal clasp in her pocket.

"No, it is not," he agreed serenely. "Nevertheless, I find that it works perfectly." She let her arms hang limply at her side and refused to look at him.

"However, I am quite sure that the girl I left on the ground that night was dead," he said, almost to himself. Sakura tensed, knowing where he was leading. "If Tsunade-sama – or any other immortal, for that matter – had Turned her in order to save her, I would have known.

"When I was… distracted, you called out a name. The woman who responded was not familiar to me; and yet, she was not human."

"S-surely you don't keep track of every single immortal?" Sakura asked desperately, trembling.

Itachi smirked, and suddenly she was very aware of his fingertips still resting, like ice, on her face. "I know every single immortal who has been born, Sakura-chan. I do not know the woman you called, but I could still see that she was an immortal."

"Tsu-Tsunade-shishou Turned her," she wavered nervously.

Unexpectedly, Itachi's smirk widened and he cupped her chin smugly. "Then we have a problem. I have no reason to believe that you are lying to me, Sakura," he said triumphantly. "But you see, Tsunade-sama has only ever Turned one human. Even had your claim been legitimate, one of you would be dead. Who, then, Turned you?"

Terror shone in her eyes as she jerked abruptly and tried to pull away from him, unfortunately forgetting about the bed behind her. She stumbled backwards, and as the backs of her legs hit the side of Itachi's bed, she landed on the silky black sheets.

Suddenly, he was on top of her, his body pinning her down as he loomed above her. "I would rather not drag the answer out of you, Sakura-chan," he told her, his face passive. "But if I must, I will do so. Again, I will ask you: who Turned you?"

Emerald eyes flashed unexpectedly in anger as they caught a knowing glimmer in the crimson orbs hovering above them. "You know the answer already. Why bother asking?" she snapped.

An amused expression spread slowly across his face and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "But Sakura-chan, it is so much fun to play with you."

Her face contorted in anger, but before she could speak, he sighed, rolled off of he,r and sat up, keeping a hand on her shoulder. "So your Shizune-san Turned you…"

"Yes," she spat, sitting up as well. His hand followed her. "Let go of me, Itachi-san!"

Itachi's grip tightened minutely. "There is, on this floor, a ward that is designed to keep humans away. It is only thanks to your immortal blood that you were even able to stay conscious for as long as you did. At this moment, I am keeping the effects of the ward from affecting you. It is troublesome enough to do so through touching; to help you without maintaining contact would be even more tedious," he said evenly.

She stopped struggling and turned to face him. "Then will you walk me down so that you don't have to shield me?"

"And what will you do if you ever need to visit this floor again?" he pointed out. "Full immortals do not notice the ward."

Shrugging, she replied, "I'll find a way to stay downstairs."

"You will not be able to avoid this floor forever," he countered smoothly. "Your secret will be discovered; it is unavoidable."

_**Stupid know-it-all bastard,**_ Inner Sakura snarled, shaking a fist at Itachi. She knew he war right.

"However, there are ways to delay the inevitable." She watched as he drew out the pouch that had once been hers and opened it to reveal the vermillion powder it now held. "Turn around and bare your shoulder."

"Why?" she demanded, watching him take out a knife as well.

He frowned. "Just do it, Sakura-chan." The hand on her shoulder pushed insistently.

"No!" she refused, crossing her arms. "Not until you tell me what you're doing and why!" Her voice was high-pitched with barely restrained anger and fear.

Itachi paused and drew back, his hand still on her shoulder. "Very well," he agreed reluctantly. "I will create a seal on you that will keep you shielded from the effects of the wards around the Castle."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why would you do that for me?" she asked.

The smirk he gave her sent chills down her spine. "Because I take care of what is mine," was all that he offered.

"I do not belong to you," she hissed. "I am not an object to be claimed!"

Again, he gave that dark smirk. "No, Sakura-chan. The mark that I will give you will also mark you as mine. As you have not been fully Turned, your strongest loyalty will be to me." He placed an arm around her and drew her into him.

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head furiously. "No!" she cried, placing both hands on his chest and trying to push him away. "Leave me alone!"

But Itachi held her steadily, unfazed by her efforts. It hadn't even occurred to her to use her immortal-born strength. "I will protect you, Sakura-chan," he whispered in her ear. "Even if it means forcing you to accept the seal."

Suddenly the knife flashed, and Sakura felt liquid running down her back. Itachi dusted the wound with the vermillion-hued powder, his fingertips ghosting over it and smearing the blood.

Searing pain struck her as he removed his arm from around her, causing her to arch her back in agony and fall forward. A scream of shock died halfway out of her mouth as she went unconscious.

Itachi caught her before she hit the bed, carefully lowering her to the black silk and arranging the sheets over her before laying down beside her.

Feeling her move instinctively toward him, he placed his arms around her and pressed his lips briefly to her forehead.

"Gomenasai, Sakura-chan…"

- - -

**Tobi is done! Now off to Tobi's beta (who is a genius), and then Tobi can post it!!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Na! Tobi is sick, but luckily Tobi got sick right after break began, so Tobi won't miss any school. Na! **

**- - -**

Vaguely, Sakura wondered why Sasori and Deidara hadn't woken them up yet. Sasori wasn't fond of waiting, and Tenten was incapable of waking up by herself.

Her eyes opened to meet those of ruby. She jerked away as the memories of last night came back to her in a flood.

"Good morning, cherry blossom," Itachi greeted her calmly. He sat up on the edge of his bed and watched her sit up as well.

Feeling the portion of her back where her left shoulder and neck met throb, she gingerly reached up to touch it – and drew back in confusion when she felt nothing. She looked questioningly at Itachi, who smirked.

"You look disappointed, Sakura-chan," he stated lazily. When she glared at him, he only chuckled and pointed to a door. "There is a mirror in the bathroom."

Sakura wondered if she would even show up in a mirror as her feet moved of their own accord.

Luckily, she did. Located on the throbbing spot on her shoulder were three black commas, darkly contrasting against the paleness of her skin.

She closed her eyes and hoped it was a dream; that soon Ino or Tenten – or even Tsunade, or Shizune – would shake her awake and tell her to get up. But when Itachi stepped into the bathroom and placed his hands on her shoulders, she knew it wasn't a dream.

"Don't be so sad, Sakura-chan," he murmured, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "I take care of what is mine."

"I don't want to be yours!" she wailed, sobbing into her hands. He said nothing, letting her go as she pushed away from him and fled out the door.

In the hallway, she noticed that Itachi's seal caused her no pain; in fact, she barely noticed it. But it marked her as his, so she kept running.

"Sakura!" Tenten cried as Sakura bumped into her at the bottom of the stairs. Noticing the half-immortal's tears, Sasori nudged his student.

"Take care of her. Deidara and I can manage for today," he told her quietly. Deidara gave Sakura an awkward hug and patted her on the back.

"All right. Come on, Sakura," Tenten coaxed. She put an arm comfortingly around her friend and led her to their room, but not before passing the three in charge of the Castle's wardrobe.

"Why are you crying?" Ami taunted. "Did Itachi-sama reject you?"

"Ami!" Kurenai reprimanded sharply. "Ino, give Ami the clothes and go with Sakura-chan. We can manage."

Ami gasped in outrage as Ino dumped the large pile of clothes into her arms, but before she could say anything, Ino had whisked Sakura and Tenten away.

"Sakura, what happened?" Ino asked anxiously, filling a glass of cold water while Tenten rubbed soothing circles on Sakura's back.

Drawing in gasping breaths, Sakura shakily explained what had transpired. Her hand trembled as she slid the top of her shirt down to show the mark.

"That's horrible!" Ino declared.

"On the other hand," Tenten added thoughtfully, ever rational, "you have his protection. That would be worth something… but you can protect yourself."

Sakura buried her face in her hands, shoulders heaving as sobs racked her frame. "Sometimes I wish Shizune-san had never Turned me!" she sobbed. "Being dead might be better than this!"

"There, there," Ino comforted her. "We'll take care of you."

"I don't want to be taken care of," Sakura cried pathetically. "I want to take care of myself! Just because I'm only half-immortal doesn't mean that I'm helpless!"

"Then we'll help you and cheer you on," Tenten corrected Ino quickly. As they watched helplessly as Sakura wept, nobody noticed the dark-haired immortal who quietly slipped away from their door.

"Come on, Sakura," Ino murmured, rising and tugging Sakura to her feet. "Let's go outside. The fresh air will do you good, and you should eat."

"That's a good idea," Tenten agreed, getting off of Sakura's bed. She handed Sakura a tissue and ushered her out the door.

Luckily, nobody was lurking in the hallway from their room to the main entrance. Sakura let out a sigh as the cold night air hit her face, drying her tears more effectively than her tissue.

When she began to force her wings out, Tenten stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't fly tonight, Sakura. We'll carry you," she said firmly.

Sakura frowned, but Ino cut in before she could protest. "Just until you've eaten and you have your strength back, okay?" she promised. "Once you eat something, we'll let you fly."

Grudgingly, Sakura nodded. "All right," she whispered. "Ino, Tenten… Arigato." They grinned at her before carefully taking her arms and slinging each one over one their shoulders. One of their hands held her arm and the other clasped the other girl's free hand in order to create a chair for Sakura, who sat down gingerly.

Taking off proved to be a bit difficult but once Ino and Tenten had figured out how to synchronize their motions, they flew faster than Sakura could go on her own wings at her best.

Without the need to concentrate on her wings, Sakura could finally look down at the world below them and appreciate its beauty. Ino and Tenten smiled at their friend's joyful expression.

It seemed like forever that they were in the sky; but it was a good forever, and when they finally landed, Sakura felt that the flight had been neither too short nor too long. She found herself looking wistfully at the sky.

"Sakura." Tenten nudged her side, breaking her out of her trancelike state. "You need to eat something or else you'll feel dizzy."

"H-hai…" Still a little dazed, Sakura stared at the sky for a moment longer before returning to Earth and following the others.

As usual, Ichiraku was empty, save for Ayame and her father. When Sakura slid onto a stool in front of her, the brown-haired girl chirped, "Hello, Sakura-san! What would you like today?"

"Konbanwa, Ayame-san," Sakura replied, smiling. "Naruto says that you have yet _another _new flavour. I was thinking of trying that."

"Coming right up!" Ayame beamed.

The old man shook his head. "It takes quite a lot to keep Naruto happy," he chuckled. "Keeps Ayame busy, for sure."

"Aren't your friends going to eat?" Ayame asked curiously. Ino and Tenten appeared from behind Sakura as she ate.

"I'm… not hungry," Tenten said truthfully. "It smells delicious, but I think I'll explode if I eat anything."

"Same," Ino announced, putting her hands up in front of her. "Sorry."

"Gochisousama." They looked at Sakura, who had put her empty bowl down. "I'm ready to go." She tried to pay, but Ayame waved her away.

"It's on the house," she said soberly. "You've been crying, Sakura-san. I hope you feel better soon."

Sakura, Ino, and Tenten stared at her. "How – " Ino began.

"Ayame has always been perceptive," the old man interjected. "I've learned that she's almost always right."

Sakura stood and bowed gratefully. "Arigato gozaimasu, Ayame-san," she said quietly.

"It's nothing," Ayame answered politely. "Oh, and by the way – congratulations, Sakura-san." When Sakura threw her a confused glance, she looked taken aback. "Oh. Never mind, then."

As Sakura nodded once and walked away, Tenten turned to Ayame. "What do you mean, congratulations?" she demanded.

Ayame looked down, playing with Sakura's empty bowl. "I – I _thought_ I felt a new connection leading from her to someone else. It's very thin, but… I guess I was wrong."

"Connection?" Tenten repeated, with urgency in her voice. "What kind of connection?"

The brown-haired human girl fidgeted. "It – it isn't quite like Naruto-san's connection with Hinata-san…"

Ino cocked her head. "How so?"

"It scares me a little," Ayame admitted, washing the bowl. "It's not… evil, exactly – it's just a little twisted. For example, it feels like I can't touch Sakura-san or else something bad will happen to me. See? Maybe 'overprotective' is the word for it… Only a little darker."

"So that's what it is," Ino muttered. "Thank you for telling us, Ayame-san. Sakura, matte!"

Tenten held Ayame's eyes for a moment. "If the others come, please do not mention this to any of them," she requested. "It will only cause trouble." She waited until Ayame nodded, then bowed low before chasing after the other two.

"You think it's the seal?" Tenten asked as she caught up with Ino. Ino nodded grimly.

"That Ayame girl – there must be some immortal blood in her. If the seal works like I think it does, we have to find a way to get it off of Sakura quickly."

_Before she's forced to do something she doesn't want to do._

"I agree about Ayame-san," Tenten mused. "Not necessarily vampire blood, but perhaps very thinned-out Seer blood. That would explain how she can see all of these things and not need to be in a trance."

"And the mark?" Ino prompted. They could see Sakura by now.

"She said it wasn't evil," Tenten replied, making sure to keep her voice lowered. "Itachi-san won't harm her through it." It remained unspoken that he did not need the seal to harm Sakura.

By now they had caught up to Sakura, who had a serene expression on her face. "I can manage to stay up now that I've eaten," she announced.

"Good!" Ino exclaimed happily. "Let's go back, then!"

Sakura almost regretted her decision as she discovered that keeping her wings took all of her concentration and left her no time to enjoy the night beneath her.

The one time she chanced a glance downwards, she forgot to flap her wings and she began dropping like a stone. Tenten and Ino sped down after her, their eyes wide.

When her hand missed Ino's outstretched fingers, the seal throbbed and she felt a wave of concern that was not hers. She clutched her shoulder, crying out, and missed the look that Ino gave Tenten.

Then it was over, and she was being held steadily by her brown-haired friend. Ino took one hand and Tenten took the other, and together they managed to get back to the Castle.

Itachi met them at the door with an unreadable expression on his face. "Chiyo-sama wants you upstairs," he told Sakura monotonously.

Nodding, she turned to Tenten and Ino. "Thank you for helping me. I'm fine now; you can go back," she mumbled.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ino whispered anxiously, her eyes flickering in Itachi's direction.

"I'll be fine," Sakura smiled reassuringly. "Besides, if Chiyo-baasama needs me, then she needs me."

"All right, then. We'll see you later!" Tenten set off in the direction of the weapons room. Ino followed, shooting worried glances over her shoulder every so often.

"Come." Itachi placed a hand on Sakura's back and led her upstairs. After walking in silence for a while, Sakura noticed something.

"Itachi-san, Chiyo-baasama's room is – "

His pace quickened, and he pushed her forward until they arrived at his room. Offhandedly, Inner Sakura noted that the effects of the ward were indeed being nullified by the seal. He thrust her into the darkened room and gripped her shoulders tightly.

"What happened?" His voice was low and demanding.

"It – was nothing." She looked away, but he shook her roughly and forced her to look back at him.

"You panicked – there is no point in denying it." He stopped her as she opened her mouth. "What happened?!"

Her eyes widened as she watched him lose control for the first time since she'd met him.

"Sakura-chan." There was an alarming urgency in his hoarse whisper. "Tell me. I am incapable of protecting you if you will not tell me what happened." His hands slid down to her hips and he buried his face in her hair.

"Protecting me?" she said bitterly. "You want to protect me?" She began to laugh hysterically, but as Itachi held her to him, the laughter turned into tears, and soon she was bawling like a child into his chest.

Quietly, Itachi laid her down, still crying, on his bed. He walked away for a moment, and she thought he had left, but he returned with a glass of water and sat beside her.

Helping her sit up gently, he placed the glass to her lips and kept it steady as she drank. "A-arigato," she hiccupped miserably.

"You are welcome," he replied, setting the empty glass aside and surveying her concernedly. "Why are you so upset?"

She sniffled quietly. "I don't want – I don't need to be protected! I can take care of myself… I'm not an object that sits there helplessly in the middle of danger!"

Drawing her huddled form into his lap, he spoke evenly. "Do you believe that there is any chance that I think of you as more than an object to be claimed, Sakura-chan? That perhaps I am merely protecting what is dear to me?" He placed a hand on her arm and stroked her silky skin as he talked.

She shivered from the cold and moved closer into him; noting this, he drew a black blanket around them.

"Sakura-chan, please answer me." His soft voice surrounded her, affecting her in a way that screams and yells could not. "Do I have even a chance?"  
She shivered again, this time from the invisibly burning flames that spread across her skin wherever his fingertips touched.

"Sakura-chan, please, please,_ please_ – " he asked quietly " – give me one chance. I will not try to protect you." His dark eyes stared entreatingly into hers.

Sakura tore her gaze away and, trembling, she whispered, "H-hai."

A tender smile – the first smile she'd ever seen from him – found its way onto his face. "Please, Sakura-chan, let me show you how much you mean to me," he whispered.

Their eyes locked; Sakura smiled shyly and nodded. Itachi's hands moved up to tug at her shirt, and what happened after belonged to the darkness.

- - -

**All done. And no, I'm not going to write what "belonged to the darkness". It would be really weird if Sai (remember him? He **_**is**_** important…) went in to hear an old woman's story and then she started spouting M-rated stuff…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Second to last chapter! In case anyone was wondering. Anyways, I (yes, Tobi got tired of typing "Tobi" all the time) just wanted to thank all of -the insert appropriate adjectives here (ex. wonderful, joyful, constipated)- people who read this story! And my beta. She's awesome too.**

**- - -**

_Sakura-chan. Sakura-chan. _A voice prodded insistently at Sakura's mind as she lay, unmoving, beside Itachi.

"Hm…?" she mumbled, raising her head sleepily.

Itachi smirked fondly at her. _Wake up, Sakura-chan. Are you hungry?_ His voice reverberated around her head, giving her a sense of comfort.

Her eyes widened in shock. _How – _

_How indeed…_ Itachi's smirk widened as the seal pulsed with amusement and another warm, powerful feeling that she named with shock.

_Love…?_ Without meaning to, she projected her thoughts and he heard the hesitation with which she thought the word.

_Yes, Sakura-chan._ Slender fingers stroked the smooth skin of her bare back. _I love you._ Her eyes closed in bliss as he nosed her neck.

"I – Itachi-san… I…" she mumbled, not quite sure how to respond to his announcement.

"It's all right, Sakura-chan," he soothed quietly. "I understand. You need not say anything." Sitting up and letting the covers slide off of his body, he opened his closet and rummaged through it, finally straightening up with a black dress in his hands.  
This he tossed to Sakura before pulling on his own clothes. "You are not the only one with friends in the laundry department," he said in reply to her questioning look when the dress fit her perfectly. "Or should I say, friends who are friends with friends of those in the laundry department." She thought his statement over before giving up trying to discern his meaning.

"Arigato, Itachi-san…"

He frowned as he tied his long, dark hair back. "There is no need for formalities, Sakura-chan. You had no problem saying just Itachi last night."

She blushed, hiding her face in the covers. "H-hai, Itachi," she whispered, her words muffled slightly by the black silk.

Chuckling at her antics, Itachi lifted her out of bed and set her gently on her feet. "I know you have already eaten, but I am hungry. Will you accompany me?"

"H-hai," she answered shyly, feeling his arm encircle her shoulders possessively. "But I need to talk to Tenten and Ino first."

The chance was provided as they walked down the hall when Kisame's door burst open and he hurried over to Itachi, muttering something into the other's ear.

Itachi sighed and turned to Sakura. "I apologize, Sakura-chan, but this will take a while. Perhaps you should find Ino-san and Tenten-san. I will contact you when I am finished."

She shrugged. "Alright, then." She threw her arms around him quickly and bowed politely to Kisame.

"Konnichiwa, Kisame-san," she greeted him. Itachi lifted an eyebrow but said nothing as he watched her leave to find Tenten and Ino.

At the top of the staircase, she almost collided with Deidara, whose arm shot out to steady her.

"Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed. "Tenten-chan and Ino-chan are looking for you, un! Sasori no danna's baachan says she didn't ask for you last night!"

Before she could get a word in, he whisked her away to the girls' room.

"I found her, un!" he declared triumphantly.

Ino shrieked joyfully as Tenten snatched Sakura from Deidara. "Thanks, Deidara-kun!" the brown-haired immortal called cheerfully as she shut the door.

There was a faint "You're welcome, un!" from outside as he skipped away, but it was drowned out by Ino's voice.

"Where have you been, Sakura?" Ino demanded.

"Itachi didn't do anything to you, did he?" Tenten put in concernedly. "If he did…" Her face darkened.

"Well…" Sakura mumbled uncertainly.

"What. Did. He. Do?!" Ino asked in a voice shaking with anger. "Sakura, tell us, _now_."

Quietly, Sakura explained what had happened – with the exception of what they had done in Itachi's bed, of course.

"He can talk to you mind-to-mind?" Tenten's eyes were wide with awe.

"Hai." Sakura looked down, placing a hand over her neck. "I'm starting to like this seal."  
They gaped at her and Ino opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, the door flew open with a _bang!_

In the doorway stood a smug-looking Uchiha Sasuke. "You are wanted by the elders, Sakura-chan," he smirked. "You should feel honoured. They're waiting outside."

With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Sakura stood and followed him out into the hallway, where Jiraiya, Neji, and three more elderly vampires whom Sakura didn't recognize awaited her. Ami lurked silently at the back of the small crowd. Sasuke kept an iron grip on Sakura's arm.

"Sakura-san," an old vampire with snowy white hair and a gnarled staff intoned, stepping forward. "It has come to our attention that you are not an immortal."

Sakura's lips pressed together to form a thin line. "I am not a full vampire, that is true," she answered lightly, "but there is immortal blood running through my veins." Sasuke's grip tightened minutely, and she knew that somehow, he had been the one to expose her. Ino gulped and gripped Sakura's hand briefly before slipping away.

"Your friends are deserting you," Ami smiled nastily. "What are you going to do now?"

"Silence!" the old woman beside Jiraiya snapped. Ami fell silent, chastised. "A half-blood, then," she added, now addressing Sakura. "You could only be a half-blood at most."

With her fist clenching at the degrading name – the fist of the arm that Sasuke was _not_ holding – Sakura looked down and refused to answer.

_Itachi!_ She cried, reaching out mentally for him. She felt him start and look up in alarm.

_What is it?_ he demanded.

_Sasuke-san found out somehow,_ she said, beginning to panic, _and he told the elders!  
Calm down, Sakura-chan,_ he told her. _I'll be there in a moment._ She tried to say something, but he had already cut off their contact.

"Sakura?" Tenten tugged at her sleeve hesitantly. "Daijobu?"

Ami gasped as two hands were placed on Sakura's shoulders. "What have we here?" Itachi's deep voice inquired. "A meeting of the elders out in the hall?" He raised a thin, elegant eyebrow. "Are councils not usually held in a private place?"

The second elderly male vampire looked up at him. "Perhaps we have acted hastily – " he mumbled, but the old woman cut him off angrily.

"You have your hands placed on a half-blood, Uchiha Itachi," she hissed, clearly expecting him to flinch or remove his hands. "When your brother discovered this, he immediately reported it to us, and we set out at once to rectify it."

"You are overreacting – " the male with the staff murmured, but was also cut off by the female.

"I had thought that you, at least, would understand!" she snapped, eyes flashing. "The last human we allowed in here – Uchiha Itachi, your own father died! You arrived in time to see his body, lying cold on the ground!" Sasuke's hand clenched, squeezing Sakura's arm.

Feeling a surge of pain through the seal, Itachi snatched her away from his brother's grasp. She felt his anger and worry, but when he spoke, his voice betrayed nothing.

"He deserved what he received," he said calmly and flatly. "He attacked a human girl. Her uncle had every right to defend her."

Sakura's blood ran cold when she realized that he was talking about Shizune and her uncle. _Shizune-neechan…_

Itachi gave her shoulder a comforting nudge. "You killed him for defending his kin, and in the process, lost two of your finest immortals."

The old woman paused. She turned to her counterparts and spoke in a low voice.

Finally, the male without the staff looked at Sakura. "Very well," he sighed wearily. "Sakura-san, it would be a crime to slay one of our own kind. As you are partially immortal, we will spare your life."

"However," the woman interjected in satisfaction, "you must bid your friends goodbye and leave this place at once. You will not dare show your face in this Castle again."

Tenten gave a strained cry. "You can't do that!" she exclaimed, but quietly and unsurely.

The old woman glared. "Of course we can! And don't you give me that nonsense about not letting us, because you are newly come and have no influence whatsoever." Tenten choked back and sob and disappeared.

Itachi's fingers flexed imperceptibly. "And I?" he asked very softly. Sasuke's eyes snapped onto his brother's face, but Itachi's own red orbs were fixated on the elder's face.

"Uchiha Itachi!" she sputtered in outrage. "If you defend this half-blood, you will be forever disgraced!"

"Then so be it," he began, but stopped when Sakura took a hold of the hand on her shoulder.

"Itachi," she said softly. "I won't let you protect me this time. I will wait for you outside in the town."

_Sakura-chan… _He sounded pained. _I am bound to the Castle. As an Uchiha, I must remain here for eternity. _

She smiled. "I will wait, and you can visit me from time to time."

_Sakura-chan… I want to stay by your side,_ he insisted. _How can we be together if you are forbidden from the Castle and I must stay forever?_

_Then,_ she replied, her thoughts no more than a whisper in his mind, _I shall wait until forever ends._

_NO!!_ He reached for her, but she stepped away from him and placed herself out of his arm's reach.

"I love you, Itachi," she declared, loud enough that the elders could hear as well. "Forever is not so long." The old woman snorted, and uncertainty and fear flickered in Sakura's eyes, but Itachi had barely realized what it was before it was gone. "I love you," she said, louder and more confidently. "I am patient; I will wait."

And glancing once at Itachi, as if memorizing his every feature, she turned her back on them, strode to the door, and threw it open to reveal the night.

- - -

"And that is the end of my story," the storyteller finished. She stroked the arms of her seat.

"The end?" Sai repeated. Had it been a painting, he would have gone on to imagine a more satisfying ending for the two lovers – another reason why he liked his art more than words.

"Sometimes we must know when to come to an end," the old woman replied serenely.

Nodding in agreement but secretly disappointed, Sai gathered his sketchbook and pencils and stood up to leave.

- - -

**This is NOT the end. I repeat: this is NOT the end. I think some of you guys (coughmybetacough) would murder me if I stopped it here. (Though it is a lovely thought…) I'm a sadist. XD One more and then I'm done! See ya!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, this is it. If you people forgot about Sai and the old lady and the other two… Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame on you.**

**- - -**

"Chotto matte kudasai," a silvery voice murmured. The younger woman to Sai's right placed her fingertips lightly on his arm, effectively causing him to pause and wait. When he cocked his head curiously, she gestured toward the other woman, who had straightened up.

"That," she declared passionately, "was the worst retelling of the story that I have ever heard!"

Sai and the storyteller gaped at her. "What – what do you mean?" the storyteller gasped indignantly.

The young woman waved a hand carelessly. "Oh, the way it was told was splendid – brilliant, even! What disturbs me is how you ended it."

The storyteller shook herself and sat up. "That is how it was told to me," she said quietly.

At the old woman's tone, Sai would have pulled back and meekly left, but the young woman only shrugged.

"Yes, yes," she sighed. "Humans do have such taste for tragic tales and noble deeds. Perhaps too much."

Now the old woman was openly frowning. "May I ask how you believe the tale ends?"

Sai felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down to see the younger woman looking at him. "You should sit down," she advised softly. "When oneesan makes up her mind to tell a story, she finishes it." He nodded and sat down again.

As the older of the two sisters opened her mouth, he observed her, captivated by the emotions that swept her chiseled features.

The younger sister by his side shifted into a more comfortable position. He glanced at her and wondered briefly at the lack of expression on her face before her sister began to speak.

He opened his sketchbook, placed a brush in his hand, and focused intently on her as she picked up where the storyteller had left off.

- - -

Sakura threw open the large door and was about to step out into the inky darkness when a heated voice halted her at once.

"You may hold some power, old woman, but you do not hold all of it!" a familiar voice said sternly. Sakura whirled to see Kurenai striding angrily across the hall to where the elders stood, followed by Ino.

The half-immortal's eyes widened. She would have spoken, but the blonde placed a finger to her lips smugly.

"Kurenai!" the vampire with the staff exclaimed apprehensively. "What are you doing?"

"The council has decided!" the elderly woman cried primly. "The half-blood will go!"

"The council has not been gathered fully, you old fool," a quiet but commanding voice stated. Chiyo hobbled into sight with Sasori and Deidara. Tenten slipped in behind them and gave Sakura a breathless wink.

Sakura's eyes moistened with tears of gratitude. What had she done to deserve such caring friends?

"Chiyo-baa is part of the council, un!" Deidara volunteered helpfully, seemingly oblivious to the glares of the three elders.

"And as young as I may seem, I also am part of the council of elders," Sasori added dryly. "And Kurenai-san, as well."

"We say that Sakura-chan will stay!" Kurenai put in firmly. "Sakura-chan hasn't hurt anybody!"

"Yet," Ami snickered, but shut up immediately when multiple pairs of eyes glared at her.

Sasuke scowled, his face darkening. "I claim my place on the council as one of the Uchiha," he declared. "I say she goes." He glared defiantly at those on Sakura's side.

Itachi's lips tightened and he stepped forward slowly. "I also claim my place. She stays." The brothers' eyes met and locked.

"We are tied," the old woman smiled tightly, turning to Neji and Jiraiya. "What do you think?"

Neji hesitated before replying. "Half-bloods do not belong in the Castle," he said softly. Tenten's fists clenched at her sides.

The old woman's gaze had snapped to Jiraiya, who shifted uncomfortably. "Well," he said awkwardly, "Tsunade-hime would skin me alive if she discovered that I had sent her apprentice away. I am with Sakura-san."

"Tied again," the old woman sneered. "The half-blood must stay out of the Castle while we discuss this. You – "

"Chotto m-matte k-kudasai," a new, female voice interrupted timidly. "I-I vote th-that S-Sakura-san s-stays." There was no hint of hesitation despite the shyness.

Sakura spun to see her savior and came face-to-face with Hyuuga Hinata, who was gazing steadily at the female elder.

"Then it is settled," the male elder with no staff sighed. "Sakura-san will stay, and the council is dismissed."

The old woman snarled but could do no more than shoot Sakura a nasty glare over her shoulder as she left.

An arm slid around her waist, bringing her close to Itachi's side. "I thought I would lose you," he murmured into her hair. "Don't leave me."

"Of course not, Itachi," she answered him fervently, clutching him tight. "I would have waited forever, but now is the best time to live. I love you!" She buried her face in his chest.

"And I you." Even if he had not said those words, she would have felt it through the seal, spreading through her body and warming her heart.

"Matte," Kurenai interrupted. "There is one condition." Sakura's heart sank as they looked at the black-haired woman, but Kurenai was smiling.

"Uchiha Itachi!" Chiyo barked suddenly. Itachi's eyes flickered to her and he mentally snapped to attention. "You are the closest to Sakura. You will Turn her."

"Finish what you started," Ino grinned.

Without hesitation, Itachi bared Sakura's shoulder, letting everyone see the seal, and sank his fangs into her neck directly where the seal was.

His strong arms caught and steadied her as she collapsed due to a lack of blood. She was faintly aware of him pressing his wrist to her lips and urging her to drink, as Shizune had done; only less hurriedly and more confidently.

Then she swallowed, and suddenly everything jerked back into focus. At once she became aware of the faces of her friends.

Standing up with Itachi's help, she bowed to Chiyo, Kurenai, Ino, Tenten, Sasori, Deidara, Naruto, and Jiraiya.

"Arigato gozaimasu!" She straightened up in time to prepare herself before Naruto barreled into her. Sasuke and Neji slunk away quietly. Ami gulped as Ino glared at her. Wisely, she fled.

"Well, I'm hungry!" Tenten announced. "Let's all go hunting!" It was then that Sakura felt the familiar craving in her stomach.

That night, she drank her fill of the red life-giving liquid and felt satisfied for the first time.

As they flew, Sakura looked down and studied the tiny, sparkling lights that pierced the darkness. Coupled with all of the emotion transferred from Itachi to her through the still-active seal, the beauty was breathtaking.

_Not as beautiful as you,_ Itachi smirked.

Sakura smiled gently and, for the first time in her life, finally felt complete.

- - -

Sai looked at his finished sketch as the young woman beside him finished her tale. Her last words hung in the air, echoing dramatically. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and closed his sketchbook, hiding from sight the picture of a young woman with lightly touched hair and startling bright eyes.

"May I see what you have drawn?" the younger sister requested. He could not refuse and showed her the picture.

"Sakura-san." The older sister leaned over his shoulder and recognized the person.

"Hai."

The younger sister reached out a slender, paper-white finger and traced the outline of the sketch lovingly. "It is beautiful," she told him. "You will not colour it?"

He shook his head. "I think it looks better in black and white. It captures her innocence and her love of the darkness at the same time."

"Perhaps," the older sister agreed, "but pure black and pure white only exists in stories. Humans exist in grey."

"What about the other colours?" Sai inquired, shutting his sketchbook gently.

The woman smiled as if she knew something he did not. "Ah; all colours are but shades of grey," she replied smoothly.

There was a sudden movement; the storyteller had risen and was towering over the still-seated form of the older sister.

Sai's breath caught, but the young woman observed the older with a serene face. After surveying her pale, marble face, the storyteller knelt and placed her forehead to the ground, bowing respectfully before the girl.

"I was wrong," she whispered. "I was wrong."

"Do not bow to me, obaasan," the black-clad young woman murmured as her sister helped the old woman sit up. "I have merely finished your story, as it was told to me." She stood up to leave, her sister following suit.

"Chotto matte," Sai called weakly. She paused at the door flap, with one hand still inside to show she was listening. "Where did you learn that story?"

There was silence briefly before she met his eyes with her own ruby orbs and spoke softly, curling back her lips to reveal sharp eyeteeth. "My mother."

Then she and her sister were gone, leaving Sai with a story and a quickly sketched picture of a young woman turned immortal.

On his way out, something black caught his eyes. He stooped, picked it up, and looked at it closely. In his fingers was a jet-black feather.

In the light, it seemed to shimmer with a greyish gleam. Recalling the young immortal's words about colours, he smiled and slipped the feather into his pocket. It smelled faintly of blood.

- - -

**And I'm done. Thank you sooooooooo much for sticking with this story, and thank you soooooo much for all of your lovely reviews!!!!!! And I'm very grateful for the people who didn't necessarily review but read the story! I look forward to seeing you all soon!!!!**


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